Chinese tourists expected to flock back to Phuket and Chiang Mai

Chinese tourists are expected to flock back to Phuket and Chiang Mai after China eased travel restrictions on its citizens on January 8.

Now, the two tourism hotspots expect a significant jump in travel on direct flights from China from January 18, according to local airport authorities. There will be one daily direct flight from China to Chiang Mai, and three to Phuket, with non-stop air links to keep rising between the two countries, Bangkok Post reported.

On January 18, a flight will start operating from Shanghai to Chiang Mai.

Two days later, another flight will start operating from Guangzhou to Chiang Mai, according to Chiang Mai Airport director Wichit Kaeosaithiam.

A Beijing-Chiang Mai flight, and Chengdu-Chiang Mai flight, and two more Shanghai-Chiang Mai flights are pending permission, he said.

Meanwhile, three direct flights to Phuket from China will also start on January 18. Two of the flights are from Shanghai, while one is from Nanjing. The flights will carry about 500 passengers a day. Another two flights from China to Phuket are pending permission, according to the president of the Phuket Tourist Association.

The president, Thanet Tantiphiriyakit, said another three flights would start on January 24, adding up to eight direct flights between China and Phuket.

Thailand’s tourism industry is busy prepping for the Chinese to return. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is planning a roadshow in China during the third week of February.

This will be the first roadshow after the Covid-19 pandemic, according to TAT’s Regional Director of East Asia Chuwit Sirivejkul. The roadshow is to be held in three major Chinese cities, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu.

Chuwit said TAT estimates that only around 300,000 Chinese travellers will come to Thailand in the first quarter, with the number predicted to increase from the second quarter onwards.

TAT’s deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and South Pacific said that all five TAT offices in China, as well as domestic tourism operators, are looking to prepare for Chinese tourists’ return.