Tourism

Chinese travellers heading to more non-Asian countries for holidays

Published

5 months ago

May 8, 2019

Chinese travellers heading to more non-Asian countries for holidays | The Thaiger

More Chinese are now travelling further and taking in non-Asian destinations during this week’s Labour Day holidays, according to Hotelbeds, a leading hotel booking website.

Monitoring holiday bookings made by Chinese, Hotelbeds said 10 to the top 30 destinations were outside of Asia compared with just three destinations a year earlier.

The three day Labour Day holidays, starting on May 1, marked one of China’s main holiday breaks but this year a day was added and the holiday ran through to the weekend making the holiday break even longer.

Paris and London were listed in the top 30 destinations in 9th and 15th places respectively, with Paris last year coming in at number 23 and London not ranking at all in the top 30.

Further down the top 30 rankings, Paris and London were followed by other non-Asian destinations such as Prague (22nd), Barcelona (23rd), Dubai (24th), Honolulu (26th), Madrid (27th), New York (28th), Melbourne (29th), and Rome (30th).

This year’s increase in non-Asian destinations on the top 30 list is due in part to the holiday being the Chinese government’s extension of the break from three to four days, and running into this weekend.

It used to be a seven day “Golden Week” until it was shortened in 2008. The date of International Labour Day is 1 May, but the length of the holiday varies each year, according to the government’s plan, which is normally a three day holiday.

However, China only announced this year’s extra day 22 March which resulted in a surge of extra accommodation bookings – with Hotelbeds’ data showing a year-on-year increase of around 75% in the weeks following the government’s surprise announcement.

In February this year, the top five international countries for Chinese travellers during Chinese New Year 2019 were, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and the US.

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Related Topics:bookings Chinese Hotels tourism travel

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Thailand

Finance Ministry approves stimulus package to spur tourism

Published

18 hours ago

October 13, 2019

The Thaiger

PHOTO: Among other things, the TAT are organising some big concerts over the last three months of 2019. Some of the 50,000 that attended the BTS ‘Love Yourself’ stadium concert in Bangkok in April 2019.

The Finance Ministry has now approved a stimulus package for the last three months of the year to boost Thailand’s tourism sector. The aim is achieve a 3% growth rate.

The Thai Tourism and Sports permanent secretary Chote Trachu says the purpose is to increase the total tourist arrivals for the second half of the year to 20 million, with the aim to reach the year-start projections of more than 40 million tourists to Thailand for 2019.

Tourist arrivals for the first eight months of the year totalled 26.5 million, generating 1.3 trillion baht of revenue, according to official figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. For the remaining four months of the year, Mr. Chote said there would likely be another 13 million tourist arrivals, with expected revenue of 750 billion baht.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yutthasak Supasorn says that events have been planned to boost tourism for the final months of 2019 including World Cannabis Festival, Super GT, a Tour de France cycling competition and concerts featuring famous bands such as Tomorrow Land and EDC.

Meanwhile, last Thursday, the World Bank slashed Thailand’s economic growth projection for 2019 to 2.7%, down from an earlier 3.5%, because of the contraction of the country’s exports.

In its latest “East Asia and Pacific Economic Update”, the World Bank said today the 2.7% GDP forecast for Thailand is the lowest among ASEAN’s developing countries. The Washington-based institution also cut Thailand’s GDP growth forecast for 2020 to 2.9% from 3.6%.

The World Bank’s report attributes the lower GDP growth outlook to an export slump in the first half of the year, the global economic slowdown and fallout from the US-China trade tensions. The World Bank also says “the Bank of Thailand has limited scope to tackle the baht’s strength, but the currency’s climb is a sign of investor confidence in the country’s economic fundamentals”.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

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Phuket

Phuket Town – In CNN Travel’s “Asia’s most picturesque towns”

Published

22 hours ago

October 13, 2019

The Thaiger

“Though most famous for its beaches, the Thai island of Phuket offers ample opportunities for cultural immersion as well.”

Phuket’s Old Town was listed as one of Asia’s 13 most picturesque towns by CNN Travel.

The article mentioned, that whilst the island is renowned for its world-class beaches and leisure, offshore and adventure tourism activities, Phuket Town delivers on romance, history and cultural beauty in the island’s main commercial centre.

Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn says the article correctly highlighted Phuket’s cultural diversity and history; things that are often eclipsed by its beaches and Patong nightlife.

“Phuket Town retain its charm and unique identity that comes from the influence of the Baba-Peranakan culture, which started when Chinese families migrated to Phuket. We are seeing more fully independent tourists with discretionary spending power who want the unique experiences that Phuket Town is rich in.”

The pocket-sized town welcomes a large number of foreign tourists each year, a significant number of who come from China and are interested in exploring the area and its Chinese influences.

“The historic old quarter of Phuket Town, located in the centre of the island, is lined with Sino-Colonial style shop houses, built during the island’s tin-mining boom of the 18^th and 19^thcenturies.

“There are plenty of hip shops, cafés, restaurants and bars, including the batik shops along Thalang Road run by ethnic Malays and Indians. The area is also filled with Chinese temples, crumbling mansions, cultural museums and a nunnery.”

CNN also recommended that one of the best ways to soak up Phuket Town’s rich culture and bohemian atmosphere was to find a local company that specialises in walking tours of the Old Town.

In addition, CNN noted that Phuket Town is where travellers can indulge in some of the island’s best restaurants, ideal for those visitors who have had their fill of the same old tourist fare served in beach areas. Top picks according to CNN include Southern Thai specialist Raya, Tantitium and One Chun.

SOURCE: TAT News

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Patong

Phuket authorities confirm alcohol ban Sunday (starts midnight) for 24 hours

Published

2 days ago

October 12, 2019

The Thaiger

The Phuket Vice Governor and acting Phuket Governor, Supot Rodruang, declared that he has sent an urgent letter from the Department of Provincial Administration to the authorities of the three districts of Phuket to strictly prohibit alcohol sales for 24 hours across Phuket tomorrow (starting midnight tonight) as it is the end of Buddhist Lent tomorrow (Sunday).

The regulation will be enforced from midnight tonight and will be active for 24 hours. He also ordered the authorities of all the districts to announce the ban in their areas and warn shops and entertainment venues that sell alcoholic beverages about the prohibition.

People who are found guilty of selling alcohol during that period risk up to 6 months imprisonment and/or a maximum of 10,000 baht fine.

“There will be teams of officers working with local officials randomly inspecting shops and entertainment venues accordingly.”

The Vice Governor asked that if anyone sees people selling alcohol during this prohibited period, please report it to the Public Health Offices, Disease Control Office or TAS program.

For any further information, please call 0 2590 3342 or the Department of Disease Control’s hotline 1422 as well as 191 or 1599 for emergencies.

The same alcohol ban exists around Thailand for 24 hours.

Monday will be a public holiday around Thailand, as the holiday falls on a Sunday.

Tomorrow, October 13, is also the third anniversary since the day King Bhumibol passed away in 2016.

SOURCE: Phuket Provincial PR

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