SO MANY Chinese tourists are heading to Thailand for Lunar New Year holidays that many tour packages offered by travel agencies are completely sold out, PPTVHD36 quoted Chinese media as saying today (Feb. 17).
Top Thai tourist destinations are currently packed with Chinese tourists but those who had not purchased a tour package in advance now have to wait until at least the end of Feb.
Several travel companies in Beijing, Wuhan, Xi’an, and other cities said that tour packages to Thailand were sold out approximately a week ago.
In addition, many netizens have said on social media that Thai airports are now crowded with Chinese tourists.
Ms. Hu, a Chinese tourist who arrived in Bangkok at approximately 1 a.m. on Feb. 12 told reporters that after her plane landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport, she saw Chinese tourists everywhere. She had to wait in line at the immigration for more than 40 minutes but while the immigration process was not complicated she still had to wait that long.
The big rush to celebrate Lunar New Year holiday in Thailand is because Chinese citizens can enter the country without a visa, she added.
Ms. Chen, a tourist from Chengdu, Sichuan province, arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport early morning Feb. 15 and waited for more than an hour before being officially allowed to enter Thailand.
“There were so many people I could barely move. I didn’t expect the airport to be this crowded at that hour.”
An employee of the Ctrip travel agency in Wuhan told reporters that many Chinese tourists are still inquiring about and booking tours to Thailand, but all Chinese New Year tour packages to Thailand were sold out more than a week ago.
An employee at the Xi’an branch added that travelling to Thailand is very convenient now as tourists only need a passport to pass immigration.
Meanwhile, the Chinese New Year celebration in Chiang Mai is particularly vibrant this year, with the number of Chinese tourists increasing by 50% compared to last year. Currently, hotel occupancy rates are over 95%, both in Chiang Mai city and surrounding areas. Finding accommodation during Chinese New Year is very difficult.
Overall, the cumulative number of foreign tourists travelling to Thailand from the beginning of the year till early Feb. has exceeded 4 million. Of this total, the number of Chinese tourists continues to grow for the fifth consecutive week.
CAPTION:
Chinese tourists celebrating Lunar New Year in Thailand. Above photo – Reuters and published by PPTVHD36, Front Page photo – Thailand.go.th
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