Q&A: Ties with tourists from China

Lerdchai Wangtrakoondee, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket Office, spoke with China Daily about new Chinese tourist trends and the TAT's commitment to creating joyful memories for travelers in Phuket.

Q: After China optimized its pandemic response policy early this year, have there been more Chinese tourists visiting Phuket?

A: The number of Chinese tourists has been rapidly recovering over the past few months. This refers to the ranking of Phuket's international tourist arrivals. In January, the number of Chinese tourists ranked seventh. But in February, it increased to the second, followed by Russian tourists.

However, the number is still below that of the pre-pandemic era because Chinese tourists are no longer coming in big groups, but rather as individual travelers.

Q: More Chinese tourists, especially individual travelers, would like to visit Thailand for boutique experiences, such as wildlife conservation and wellness tours. Have you designed any special routes to meet this new trend?

A: Concerning responsible tourism and local experience tourism, the TAT Phuket Office has designed attractions for new Chinese tourist trends.

Such attractions include experiencing the Rawai fishery village, as well as fishing with locals and experiencing the villagers' cooking style.

Moreover, we are welcoming more travelers to enjoy learning elephants' way of life by helping the animals in the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. We also provide some sustainable activities such as releasing sea animals back to the ocean.

Q: Recent news on unsatisfying travel experiences in Phuket triggered worries about local tourism service standards. Is there any action that the TAT has taken to guarantee tourism quality and travelers' safety?

A: Regarding the safety of Chinese tourists in Phuket, the Chinese ambassador to Thailand came to Phuket in March. He had a meeting with the local government to prepare for the safety of Chinese tourists in all concern, such as traffic safety, sea transportation safety, sea and island tourism safety, and more.

With the number of Chinese visitors hitting 1 million last month, the TAT and the Tourists Police Bureau have committed to strengthening safety measures for travelers. We will spare no effort to make the travel experience for tourists from around the world a nice and joyful memory in Phuket.

Q: Which Chinese cities are Thai people interested in the most? Does Phuket have cooperative plans with any Chinese city to promote tourism?

A: China is one of the most famous destinations for Thai tourists because of the beauty of its nature and historical attractions. The most famous cities among Thai people are Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kunming and Chengdu, as far as I know.

For the cooperative plans with Chinese cities, Phuket has various plans with cities and regions including Yantai in Shandong province, Xiamen in Fujian, as well as the Macao Special Administrative Region.

Bilateral ties with those places had been built before the pandemic and we are planning to restore the cooperation soon. In the near future, we are glad to have more chances to cooperate with many other regions in China to boost tourism.