Thailand’s tourism industry blossoms anew with influx of Chinese visitors-Xinhua

Chinese tourists visit the Grand Palace scenic spot in Bangkok, Thailand on May 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

According to data from the Kasikorn Research Center in Thailand, as of April 30, the country has received more than 737,000 Chinese tourists this year, a 30-fold jump from the same period last year.

BANGKOK, May 3 (Xinhua) — The Grand Palace, high-end shopping malls, and the Pattaya Pier in and around Bangkok are once again bustling with activity as Chinese tourists flock to Thailand during the five-day Labor Day holiday.

For nearly a decade, Suchart has been a familiar sight on Pattaya Beach, setting up beach chairs and preparing for visitors who come to relax, drink coconut water, and ride speedboats out to sea.

Chinese tourists were once a staple of Suchart’s daily routine, with the business receiving almost a hundred of them on peak days. However, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a…