PHUKET: Three roadshows have been held in Mainland China earlier this week to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting Phuket, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced.
Organised together with the Phuket Tourism Business Association, the “Amazing Thailand Road Show to China 2023, Phuket & the Andaman+” campaign included roadshows in Chongqing, Beijing, and Nanjing on Apr 17, Apr 19 and Apr 21 respectively, the TAT said in a press release.
The events were held to boost confidence in Thailand as a preferred destination for Chinese tourists. The Thai delegation included representatives from 38 hotel and resort operators, six travel agencies, six tourist destinations, three other types of tourism operators, and three strategic partners of the TAT.
“The roadshow is also aimed to enhance the awareness of TAT’s most recent marketing campaign for the Chinese market called ‘Tiew Muang Thai Ying Pai Ying Sanook’ (the more one travels to Thailand, the more fun they enjoy) campaign. It aims to emphasise that Thailand remains a top tourist destination for Chinese travellers, and to promote a variety of quality tourism products and services that cater to the lifestyles of different Chinese travel segments,” the TAT said in the press release.
From Jan 1 to Apr 10, 2023, the Kingdom recorded 614,338 Chinese tourists, according to the preliminary figures by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS). The TAT expects overall Chinese arrivals for 2023 to reach 9 million, said Tanes Petsuwan, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing in Asia and the South Pacific Region.
“The roadshow places emphasis on promoting quality tourism experiences in Thailand, focusing particularly on a vast array of tourism products and services on offer in Phuket and nearby Andaman coastal areas. To this extent, we are quite pleased to see enthusiast business negotiations between the Thai suppliers and China’s tourism professionals, and the continued confidence in Thailand as a preferred destination for Chinese tourists,” Mr Thanes added.
According to the Phuket Immigration Office, tourists from China were the second largest group of foreign visitors to Phuket in March, inferior only to Russians (45,147 visits vs 94,308).
For Apr 1-15, the island recorded 19,695 Chinese arrivals via international flights. Russia provided 36,999 tourists.
