People-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand have been greatly boosted by an increasing number of tourists from the mainland.

This year, Thailand expects to attract approximately 6 million Chinese tourists, a near 30-percent increase from 2014.

China is the largest source of tourists to Thailand. Last year, 4.62 million Chinese visited Thailand, accounting for 18.7 percent of all international arrivals and generating 188 billion baht (more than $5.5 billion) in revenue for Thailand.

"For many years, China has been Thailand's largest source country for tourists, and it has played an important role in promoting the local tourism industry, even for Thailand's economic development in general," said Ning Fukui, Chinese ambassador to Thailand.

From the bright sunshine and blue ocean waters of Phuket, the lush forests and historical city of Chiang Mai, to the temples of Bangkok and Ayutthaya, there are many different hot spots to explore in Thailand, one of the main factors in attracting a growing number of Chinese tourists, Ning said.

Despite recent reports about inappropriate behavior by Chinese tourists during their trips to Thailand, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Thailand's minister of tourism and sports, said "among the millions of Chinese travelers in Thailand, most of them are leaving China for the first time, so those issues are bound to happen".

The minister said the Thai government is trying to provide more travel information to Chinese tourists, especially first-time visitors, including brochures and videos.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand also plans to provide more signs in Chinese at popular destinations.

One Chinese tourist, Huang Jian, who went into retirement five years ago, said he and his wife joined a tour group last November for a trip to Bangkok from his hometown in Hubei province.

"Many of my friends recommended Thailand for my first overseas tour. The three-hour flight was not very challenging for us - the elderly group. And because it is also part of Asia, I found that it wasn't odd for me walking along in their streets," Huang said, adding that Thai people look very friendly.

Huang's four-day tour came during a period in which the Thai government waived visa fees for Chinese tourists to attract more mainland travelers directly following last year's six-month political crisis.

Diversified trips

Sightseeing is still the main draw for Chinese tourists, but shopping trips and medical tours have also become popular in recent years.

Kobkarn said Chinese shoppers are good for Thailand's economic development.

"We don't want tourism income going mainly to hotel and restaurant owners. We hope all people across a wide range of businesses can benefit."

To realize a more sustainable tourism industry in Thailand, Kobkarn said the government will promote more value-added tourism programs to attract more high-end visitors such as Shang Lu.

Shang said she spends a week every year in the islands of Thailand ever since her honeymoon in Phuket four years ago.

"It's quite easy to find promotional flight tickets and hotels in Thailand. Compared with the similar holiday environment in China, I often get better service and experiences in Thailand for similar costs," the 32-year-old said.

Shang said she enjoys getting a Thai massage in her hotel room overlooking the ocean and does a lot of shopping before returning to Beijing.

"Many of my friends prefer products from Thailand, from snacks, cosmetics, to latex pillows. So every time I do a bit of shopping for them, which can make a small profit for my next trip," she said.

Thailand has also become increasingly popular for Chinese businesspeople attending exhibitions and meetings in the Southeast Asian country.

The country received 120,684 Chinese visitors for exhibits and meetings last year, which is more than any other country in the world, said Nooch Homrossukhon, acting director of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau's meeting and incentive department, in Shanghai earlier this year.

She said Chinese business travelers to Thailand generated 10 billion baht ($295 million) in local revenue last year.

The bureau forecasts the nation will receive 1.04 million international visitors for meetings and exhibits this year.

zhaoyanrong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/01/2015 page24)