Thailand expects more high-end Chinese tourists

Thailand looks forward to having an increasing number of high-end Chinese tourists who will spend more money and time in the country than earlier, Deputy Director of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) Supawan Teerarat said Tuesday.

TCEB has been promoting tourism among Chinese businesspersons who may hold business meetings as well as visit tourist spots in Thailand throughout this year, Supawan Teerarat said in an interview with Xinhua.

The number of the high-end Chinese to visit this country, both businesspersons and tourists, will increase to 96,000 throughout this year, compared to 85,800 last year, Supawan said.

Those Chinese businesspersons are expected to spend a combined 254 million U.S.dollars in cash during their visits throughout this year, compared to about 203 million dollars last year, she said.

"Each of the high-end Chinese tourists is expected to spend an average of 2,700 dollars per trip. Besides, they will stay for a longer period of time than earlier at such popular tourist spots as Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket,'' the TCEB deputy director said.

The number of the Chinese businesspersons to visit Thailand will remarkably increase, given direct flights between China's major cities and Chiang Mai and Phuket, besides the Thai capital.

Importantly, she said, Thai products and services will be upgraded and promoted to meet the demands of such high-end Chinese tourists who have high purchasing powers.

"TCEB will look to attract businesspersons in China's major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Guangzhou as our prime targets in the MICE category."

"This kind of tourists have high purchasing powers and may stay longer than those who visited earlier," Supawan said.

She said TCEB will run roadshows in Beijing and Guangzhou to attract Chinese businesspersons to Thailand next month.

In touristic jargon, MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions.

According to the TCEB deputy director, those Chinese businesspersons are obviously different from millions of other Chinese who have constituted the largest category of tourists to this country.