During the Spring Festival holiday that just passed, Li Yue fulfilled her wish by wandering the streets of Bangkok and enjoying the seaside scenery of Pattaya.
It was her and her roommate's two-year "late" graduation trip.
Starting from February 6, the national travel agencies and online travel companies will be resumed on a pilot basis to operate outbound group tours and "air ticket + hotel" business for Chinese citizens to relevant countries. The pilot list includes a total of 20 countries including Thailand, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
With the promulgation of relevant policies, the popularity of outbound tourism during the Spring Festival this year continues to rise, especially outbound tourism to Southeast Asian countries, which is quite eye-catching.
According to data from tourism agencies, the number of inbound and outbound air ticket orders on January 8 increased by 628% year-on-year, setting a record since March 2020.
At present, almost half of Chinese outbound tourists go to Thailand, and the tourism market in Southeast Asia has ushered in a "recovery".
Return to Thailand to feel the enthusiasm, Bangkok is more prosperous and Phuket slightly declines
Long Shao, a travel blogger, had traveled to more than 100 countries and regions before the outbreak.
In his view, the restart of outbound travel is an incentive for him and the industry.
"At the end of December last year, when the country announced the optimization of entry and exit measures, my heart was 'just about to move'. Now I can finally 'realize my dream'." After the policy was optimized and upgraded, it took Long Shao half a month to formulate the "one journey tour 30 "China" complex plan, Thailand is the first stop of his trip.
When he returned to the city he visited many years ago, Long Shao had different feelings.
"Bangkok has become prosperous with the naked eye. Taller buildings have risen in the city, and there are bigger landmark shopping malls. The Thai people are as warm and friendly to Chinese tourists as ever." However, he also said that the sudden blowout of Thailand's tourism industry has caused some The reception capacity of the industry has not been adjusted well.
"As far as I know, many first-tier hotels in Bangkok are sold out four or five days a week."
Li Yue, who traveled to Thailand for the first time, also deeply felt the enthusiasm of the Thai people.
"When I rented clothes in front of Zhengwang Temple, although it only cost 30 yuan, the boss still enthusiastically helped introduce and try them on, and matched me with a satisfactory look." Li Yue recalled that during the trip, whether it was the front desk of the hotel or the The taxi driver made her feel very warm. "A taxi driver always said that he liked China very much. He used translation software to communicate with us when he didn't understand the language. He was very sincere and lovely."
On the other hand, during the Spring Festival holiday, Han Tong's family went to Phuket Island in southern Thailand to play, surrounded by rich resources on the island, and had a lot of fun.
"There are a lot of wild animals here. The children not only have close contact with various animals, but also have many jungle rides." According to reports, Han Tong and his party stayed in an original ecological hotel during their 6-day trip to Phuket Island. "The sea water here is clear, and you can see sea creatures without snorkeling." Although the playing environment is good, Han Tong still feels the decline of the resorts on the island. "A few years ago, I came to Phuket several times for work reasons. , In the past three years, it has indeed withered a lot, and there are fewer tourists, so it is hard not to decline."
For the enthusiasm of the Thai people, Han Tong felt the same as Long Shao.
According to their memories, when the group visited the local seafood market, they were warmly received by Thai vendors in Chinese. When recalling, I still couldn't help being "sad", "For us, these Internet terms are now 'outdated', but it can also be seen that they really waited for Chinese tourists for three years."
Does not meet the conventional tourist routes, the tour guide must update the knowledge reserve
This Spring Festival, Jin Wanyu, who lives and works in Bangkok, feels unprecedentedly busy in the past three years.
In 2015, after returning from studying in Australia, she came into contact with the public welfare projects of teaching volunteers, and went to Laos, Sri Lanka, Chiang Mai, Thailand and Phuket and other countries and regions.
Finally, in 2016, he chose to "reside" in Bangkok and became a Chinese teacher.
Around 2018, Jin Wanyu registered on a travel platform as a Thai guide, mainly receiving tourists in Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
"Before the epidemic, Thailand's tourism industry was booming, and there were Chinese tourists everywhere, which was very lively."
Jin Wanyu told the Beijing News Shell Finance and Economics reporter that since the epidemic, independent travelers from China have "disappeared", and there are only a very small number of business travelers.
"Before, a large proportion of Thailand's tourism industry was supported by Chinese tourists. During the epidemic, many local attractions were closed, a large number of employees lost their jobs, and Thailand's tourism industry was in a depression." According to her introduction, there are many people from China around her. After persisting for a period of time, the guide chose to return home.
"I started working as a teacher again in 2020."
One month after the outbound travel policy was liberalized, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand showed explosive growth.
Jin Wanyu, who recently returned to the tourism industry, was surprised and surprised. The surprise is that the tourism industry has finally ushered in a recovery. The surprise is that the requirements of Chinese tourists are higher than three years ago.
"Many tourists are no longer satisfied with the conventional Thailand tour itineraries three years ago. If the guide does not update and upgrade his knowledge base, it is easy to be replaced."
Up to now, Jin Wanyu has received three batches of tourists.
She said that compared with three years ago, the way tourists play is more diversified now.
"Tourists who came here in the past basically chose to pack a business car and hire a local driver; but now, many young tourists prefer to rent motorcycles or ride bicycles by themselves." Jin Wanyu believes that spending less money to travel Experiencing foreign life is a great way of life.
The number of people buying Thai travel products has increased by 10 times year-on-year
Statistics show that China has always been an important source of tourists for Thailand's tourism industry.
Before the outbreak, Thailand received about 40 million foreign tourists a year, of which Chinese tourists accounted for nearly one-third.
According to statistics, one month after various policies were optimized, the number of Chinese visa-on-arrival applicants for Thailand tripped three times compared to the same period last year, and the number of people purchasing Thai tourism products increased tenfold year-on-year.
The Thai Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and other departments stated that Chinese tourists are gradually returning.
In addition, after visiting many travel agencies in Beijing, the reporter learned that Thailand is the most popular among the group's outbound routes recently.
The quotations for departures to Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket and other places in Thailand before March are mostly 5,000 to 6,000 yuan per person, and the number of people in each group is about 25-30 people.
Luo Lan, director of the Shanghai Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said in an interview with the media that with the resumption of flights from China to Thailand, Thailand Airport expects that about 7 million to 10 million Chinese tourists will land at Bangkok Airport in 2023.
In terms of entry procedures, Thailand has always been a relatively mature tourist destination. It has been continuously improving the convenience of tourists entering the country. At present, many tourists still choose to sign on arrival.
"Now Thailand does not require a nucleic acid certificate or a vaccine certificate to enter the country, but all incoming guests are required to provide a new crown insurance certificate worth US$10,000." Roland said.
Yuthasak, director of the Thailand National Tourism Administration, said that 2023 is the year of tourism in Thailand, and the number of global tourists is expected to reach 25 million. China is an important source of tourists.
"With the orderly recovery of outbound travel by Chinese citizens, the return of Chinese tourists will help accelerate the recovery of Thailand's tourism industry and promote Thailand's economic growth."
In Jin Wanyu's view, 2019 seems to be just yesterday.
"That year, my parents came to Chiang Mai for vacation, and I took them to many unique restaurants. The city is not big, so every restaurant can see tourists of different colors come to dine. Now, everything is fine Get up, and the beautiful pictures of the past will finally come to people's eyes again."
Written by this edition/Beijing News Shell Finance reporter Yu Menger