Current location:style >>
Thailand gears up for the return of Chinese travelers
style91People have gathered around
IntroductionThere's a dearth of foreign visitors at Jim Thompson Farm, a reopening getaway tourist spot thre ...
There's a dearth of foreign visitors at Jim Thompson Farm, a reopening getaway tourist spot three hours' drive away from Bangkok, despite the weather cooling and festive bells tolling.
Open for only six weeks of the year, the farm attracts visitors with its stunning flower fields and cultural experiences. However, the farm remains a hidden gem for foreign visitors though the country has been fully open to international travelers since last July.
"Visitors are fewer than before. It's inspiring to hear about Chinese tourists returning in the near future. Just bring your friends here to experience a farm tour," says Nui, a vendor selling coffee at the farm who has been so excited since hearing someone speak in Chinese after three years' absence of Chinese tourists.
Chinese tourists accounted for almost one-third of Thailand's nearly 40 million foreign visitors in 2019. The country's tourism sector applauded the announcement from the Chinese government that it will scrap quarantine for travelers on Sunday.
A festive mood boosted by the news of Chinese tourists' return has hit the tourism-reliant country. Most of the country's tourism spots have been equipped with Chinese signs.
In a historical park about 270 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, signs written in English and Chinese and QR codes for audio introductions are seen at every corner.
"Phimai Historical Park features some of the best preserved Khmer temples in Thailand. Although it's a less-traveled destination for Chinese tourists, we believe that there must be a niche group who may be delighted in the rich culture and long for less touristy encounters here. All we have to do is to be well-prepared for their return," says Phon, a guide at the park.
Thailand's tourism body expects about 300,000 tourists from China to visit Thailand in the first quarter of the year after China reopens its border.
"The first batch of Chinese tourists will probably arrive in mid-January. We will have to figure out the labor shortage, including hotel staff, drivers and Chinese-speaking tour guides. Moreover, a negative PCR test result is required within 48 hours before departure for Chinese tourists when they return to China. So we need to help arrange testing points and facilitate hospitals to work on this," says Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
"The tourism sector is gearing up for the return of Chinese tourists."
He says the first visitors are mostly individuals who have booked flights and hotels online and made their itineraries using travel apps.
"Beaches and dining remain their favorite activities. In this new chapter, we would like to promote exclusive tour packages in the northeast region, the less-trampled corner of Thailand filled with natural beauty and authentic Thainess," says the TAT governor, adding that the authority will propose to related bodies not to introduce restrictions on Chinese tourists.
The authority governor's quote is echoed by Mak, a tuk-tuk driver in Bangkok who has been struggling to earn his living since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After parking his tuk-tuk on an empty road in front of the grand palace on New Year's Eve, the bored driver kicked his heels waiting for passengers.
"There seems to be a glimmer of hope when Thailand opened to foreign tourists in July, yet the full recovery still has a long way to go. It costs about 500 baht (about $14) a day for me to rent the car and pay for the gas, but sometimes I only get one or two rides a day," Mak says.
"We are looking forward to the return of Chinese tourists. They bring hope for an economic boom. We miss the once-bustling Bangkok, with an influx of cheerful tourists."
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Stellar Spectrum news portal”。http://ecuador.adventistmissionjapan.org/content-22e799231.html
Related articles
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
styleA long-planned series of Catholic pilgrimages has begun across the United States this weekend, with ...
【style】
Read morePanarin scores tying goal, shootout winner as the Rangers edge Islanders 3
styleNEW YORK (AP) — Artemi Panarin scored late in the third period to tie game and tallied the shootout ...
【style】
Read morePalestinian death toll in Gaza Strip rises to 32,623: ministry
style(Xinhua) 09:46, March 30, 2024Children are seen in front of a damaged building in the southern Gaza ...
【style】
Read more
Popular articles
- Ricky Stenhouse punching Kyle Busch could lead to suspension
- CPC leadership reviews guidelines on policies supporting construction of Xiong'an
- Active role of overseas Chinese hailed at event
- Xi's article calls on young officials to shoulder mission of the times
- The Latest
- Panarin scores tying goal, shootout winner as the Rangers edge Islanders 3
Latest articles
Amir Khan's £11.5m luxury wedding venue finally hosts its first marriage: Bride arrives on horse
Jets score 4 goals in 1st period, beat Avalanche 7
China honors promise to ensure smooth running of Chengdu Universiade: Xi
IOM assists in voluntary return of 133 Pakistanis from Libya
Why US Catholics are planning pilgrimages in communities across the nation
IOM assists in voluntary return of 133 Pakistanis from Libya
LINKS
- China launches new remote sensing satellite
- Landslides hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island, killing at least 18 people
- 3 scientists share 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Australian police probe why man who stabbed 6 people to death in a Sydney mall targeted women
- Detectives solve 1968 killing of World War II veteran who became milkman, Florida sheriff says
- Xi meets Russian foreign minister
- Feature: Chinese
- World Internet Sci
- Another suspect charged in 2023 quadruple homicide in northern Mississippi
- Virtual technology showcased at 2023 CIFTIS