The first groups of Chinese tourists arrived in Thailand on Monday on the first day that the Beijing authorities allow its citizens to join organized trips to around twenty countries after abandoning the “zero COVID” policy.
After almost three years of restrictions, the Chinese can resume group travel today to about twenty countries, including Asian destinations such as Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and also Cuba and Argentina.
“Thailand is honored to be among the 20 countries chosen to receive tour groups from China. We are very pleased to welcome these first groups today and look forward to many more to come.”, indicated the governor of the TAT, Yathasak Supasorn, who went to the Don Mueang airport in Bangkok to receive the tourists.
In a statement, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), which was the most visited destination for Chinese tourists in 2019, celebrated the arrival of the first two groups of Chinese travelers of 20 people each in a Spring Airlines flight from Guangzhou in south China.
Over the next six days, tour groups are scheduled to visit various temples and beaches in Bangkok, Pattaya and Samed Island.
Today alone, more groups are expected to arrive in Thailand on some 14 flights from various Chinese cities such as Beijing, Xiamen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu and Nanning.
Thailand welcomed some 11 million travelers from China in 2019, accounting for a third of total foreign tourism to the country that year.
Due to the pandemic and restrictions in China, that number fell to 286,511 in 2022, while about 5 million are expected this year, according to TAT data.
Chinese authorities began easing COVID-19 restrictions in December and in early January announced they would once again allow group travel, which is how most Chinese tourists travel.
The other countries included in the list are Maldives, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, Laos, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, New Zealand and Fiji.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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