Guangming DailyBangkok, January 16th On January 9, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand was filled with joy and joy. With cheers and greetings, Thailand welcomed the first batch of Chinese tourists since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic. Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Anutin, Minister of Communications Sasayan, Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipha and other Thai government officials personally greeted the 269 first batch of Chinese passengers flying from Xiamen. “Courtesy. Anutin took off his mask, greeted Chinese tourists with “Hello” with a smile on his face, took a friendly selfie with the tourists, and presented auspicious garlands and travel gift bags. The staff at the airport even held up a banner saying “China and Thailand are one family, the miraculous Thailand remains warm and welcomes Chinese people forever”, making Chinese tourists feel at home.
From government officials to street vendors, Thailand is eagerly awaiting the return of Chinese tourists. In this tourist resort known as the “Land of Smiles” and “Yellow Robe Buddha Kingdom”, tourism has already become its pillar industry. In 2019, the income from foreign tourists accounted for 11.9% of Thailand’s GDP. Among the 39.8 million foreign tourists who entered Thailand that year, nearly 11 million were Chinese tourists, becoming the largest source of tourists in Thailand’s tourism market. The COVID-19 epidemic in the past three years has severely damaged Thailand’s tourism industry, and the national economy has also continued to decline. From May 2022, Thailand will gradually unblock tourists and adopt various measures to attract tourists to resume tourism. On October 1, 2022, the Thai government promulgated a comprehensive reopening of tourism policy, canceled all epidemic control measures, and welcomed the arrival of all international tourists. After the relaxation of control, although the recovery of Thailand’s tourism industry has improved, it is still weak due to the lack of Chinese tourists. The news that China announced that it would adjust the epidemic prevention measures on January 8 and allow people to leave the country spread all over the streets of Thailand, and the Thai media took it as the headline.
When Japan, South Korea and other countries implemented discriminatory entry and quarantine measures against Chinese tourists, the Thai government firmly stated that no one should discriminate or treat Chinese tourists differently. Chinese tourists do not need to be tested and quarantined when entering Thailand. Same. Anutin said in the interview: “I have been following the development of China’s epidemic prevention. Since China relaxed travel restrictions on January 8, the number of Chinese tourists entering Thailand has continued to increase, which makes us very happy. Thailand has unique advantages in tourism. Including delicious food, high-quality service and first-class amenities, and tourism is the key to our economic recovery. The friendship between Thailand and China is profound, and Thailand’s economic recovery cannot be separated from Chinese tourists. We have made full preparations to welcome Chinese tourists and will Fully guarantee the safety and travel experience of tourists coming to Thailand. Thailand treats tourists from all over the world equally, and will never impose separate entry control measures for Chinese tourists.”
Speaking of China-Thailand relations, Anutin recalled: “When the epidemic first broke out, cases were found among Chinese tourists in Thailand. We treated them in time and helped them go home. When Thailand encountered difficulties, China also I extended a helping hand as soon as possible to provide Thailand with urgently needed COVID-19 vaccines. The deep friendship between Thailand and China is obvious to all, which is why Chinese tourists are willing to continue to come to Thailand. Since the first batch of Chinese tourists entered Thailand on January 9, there has been no incident. , Chinese tourists are sincerely welcomed.”
Currently, according to the regulations of the Thailand National Tourism Administration, Thailand will continue to implement the comprehensive reopening tourism policy promulgated on October 1, 2022. International passengers arriving in Thailand do not need to show proof of vaccination, nor do they need to show antigen self-test or nucleic acid test result. As a measure to comprehensively revive the tourism industry, Thailand will also provide visa extension services for all inbound tourists, extend the visa time for tourists from countries with visa-free rights from the original 30 days to 45 days, and extend the stay period for tourists who apply for visa-on-arrival. Time extended from 15 days to 30 days. In response to some people’s concerns about the epidemic, the Thailand Center for Disease Control stated: “The arrival of more Chinese tourists in Thailand will not cause a surge in the number of new crown infections.” Currently, the average daily number of infections in Thailand is around 900, and severe cases are also decreasing.
In order to attract more Chinese tourists, the Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to launch the “Thailand and China are siblings” campaign. Yuthasak, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: “We will focus on promoting Thai tourism products and services through Chinese online platforms, and plan to invite artists to promote Thai tourism products and services through live broadcasts. In addition, we also plan to allow Thai entrepreneurs to travel to China after the Spring Festival. Promote its tourism products and services.” The Spring Festival is approaching, and Chinatown in Bangkok will hold celebrations such as the “Happy Chinese New Year” lantern show, and festive red lanterns have been hung inside and outside the Nine Heavens Palace in Phuket, which is full of New Year flavor. In February this year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will also hold roadshows in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, organizing 120 Chinese and Thai tourism agencies to conduct business negotiations and promote tourism projects in Thailand.
In order to help the economic recovery, the Thai government has formulated policies to comprehensively develop the tourism industry. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released the strategic direction for 2023. With the theme of “Thailand Tourism Year 2023: A Magical New Chapter”, it will use a new look to invite tourists from all over the world to come to Thailand to experience a variety of tourism activities. Overseas tourists are expected to exceed 25 million person-times throughout the year. , bringing in 2.38 trillion baht (about 485 billion yuan) in revenue, and it is expected that 5 million Chinese tourists will visit Thailand. Thai economic institutions believe that the arrival of Chinese tourists will boost Thailand’s tourism industry and bring more income and employment to businesses related to the tourism industry chain such as restaurants, hotels, and shopping. Therefore, Thailand’s Kaitai Research Center raised its forecast for Thailand’s economic growth in 2023 from 3.2% to 3.7%.
On January 3, the Thai cabinet also approved a blueprint for tourism development in the next five years, planning to promote Thailand as one of the world‘s top health destinations through several flagship projects. Dai Suli, deputy spokesperson of the Thai government, said that the cabinet approved the third national tourism development plan for 2023-2027, which will serve as a guide for relevant national and local agencies to formulate tourism development action plans. The program’s key performance indicators include tourism contributing at least 25 percent to GDP, and at least 3,000 tourism businesses and attractions being certified each year. Other indicators include a 5% annual increase in tourism spending and Thailand’s ranking in the top 35 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The plan includes four strategies: the first is to strengthen the resilience of the tourism industry, taking measures to distribute tourism revenue to all possible regions; the second is to develop the fundamentals of the tourism industry and strive to improve the quality of tourism, such as improving safety and health Digital and information infrastructure to support the use of tourism economic data to formulate relevant national policies; three is to use technology and innovation to attract high-quality tourists; four is to promote sustainable tourism, such as supporting efforts to protect the natural environment and tourist destinations and preserve Thai culture and tradition. In addition, key performance indicators include a 2% reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions.