CHINESE LOOK FOR SILK ROAD ADVENTURES
China Daily Chinese tourists are opting for attractions off the beaten track - in addition to the big cities and hot destinations - when travelling to countries and regions related to the Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, a report by home-sharing service Airbnb shows.
More than 420,000 Chinese tourists booked accommodation through Airbnb in the economies participating in the Belt and Road Initiative in the past year, including Middle East countries, in the process contributing about $30 million in income to local property owners, the report said.
It found that Thailand was the most popular tourist destination for Chinese outbound tourists, followed by Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. As to cities, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur were the top choices.
BOT COMMITTEE KEEPS POLICY RATE AT 1.5%
The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) yesterday voted unanimously to maintain the policy rate at 1.5 per cent, MPC secretary Jaturong Jantarangs said.
The committee assessed that the economy’s growth outlook improved further despite facing risks, especially on the external front. Headline inflation softened and might fall below the target in some periods mainly due to supply side factors, Jaturong cited the MPC as observing. Nevertheless, it was projected to rise during the latter half of the year.
Meanwhile, overall financing conditions remained accommodative and conducive to economic growth, the MPC believes. Further improvement in the growth outlook was attributed to the continued recovery in exports as the economies of Thailand’s trading partners gained momentum. In addition, private consumption picked up somewhat supported by improved farm income and consumer confidence.
