Thailand still popular among Chinese travellers, study finds

Based on data collected from Variflight, the Global Times report said that outbound international passenger flights from China will likely grow by more than 200 per cent month-on-month in August as China has started easing travel restrictions.

A total of 2,845 flights are scheduled to fly out of China this month, up from 904 in July, and the top five destinations are South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand and France.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Friday that the government estimates that in the second half of the year, Thailand will see a surge in foreign arrivals thanks to the improving Covid-19 situation and the lifting of travel restrictions by several countries, including China.

“It’s a good sign that Chinese tourists still want to visit Thailand as they did before the pandemic. In 2019, Chinese tourists accounted for a fourth of total foreign arrivals in 2019 or almost 11 million visitors,” he said.

Thanakorn added that based on the Transport Ministry’s data, 1,055,608 foreigners had entered Thailand via different channels in July. This marked a 118.65 per cent increase from the average of arrivals in the first six months of the year, which stood at just 482,719 people per month.

“This proves that the easing of travel restrictions is working, while our disease control measures and public health system have ensured that travelling to Thailand is safe,” he said. “Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha thanks all parties for cooperating with the government and following disease control measures, which has resulted in a significant increase in foreign tourists.”

He added that ensuring all foreign visitors have a positive experience in Thailand will ultimately contribute to the revival of the tourism industry.