Sharp increase in Chinese tourists anticipated
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The number of Chinese visitors to Thailand in the first quarter is expected to increase to 1.35 million, an increase by 30.2 per cent from the same period last year, according to Kasikorn Research Centre.
They are expected to generate Bt54 billion to the Thai tourism industry, an increase by 32.4 per cent on year.
The research centre noted that the sharp increase is partly attributable to the low base last year.
For the full year, it expects the number of Chinese arrivals to increase by 13.5 per cent to 5.25 million. They should generate a total revenue of Bt218.6 billion, an increase by 15.2 per cent on year.
In 2014, the number of Chinese visitors stood at 4,623,806, contracting by 0.3 per cent from the previous year. Still, overall visitor arrivals dropped by 6.7 per cent.
Bangkok is their main destination, but more are heading to provincial destinations chiefly Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi.
