Travel deal “should boost Chinese tourist numbers’
PHUKET: Nineteen Chinese tour operators yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to sell 25 standardized travel packages to Chinese tourists. The MOU, signed at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, will be effective for six months starting today.
Prapan Yukumyat, President of the Phuket Office of the Thai-China Tourism Association, told the Gazette that since the year 2000 the number of Chinese visitors to Phuket has been increasing steadily. However, some had begun to complain about overcharging for package tours.
“This MOU will help tour operators to align their prices with the economy and the needs of the market,” he said.
Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of the Phuket office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that about 110,000 Chinese tourists visited Phuket in 2004 but that the figure is expected to be lower this year.
“When tourists hear about the MOU, however, I’m sure they will feel more confident about coming here. Now there are chartered flights from China to Phuket and next month the TAT will take part in a trade show in Kunming [in southwest China], which should help us to attract even more tourists,” she added.
