Thailand's tourism sector is gradually recovering from the impact of last October's floods, the country's worst in fifty years. As Liu Ying finds out, Thailand remains one of the most attractive destinations for Chinese tourists.
Reporter: “Spring Festival has always been the peak season for Chinese tourists in Thailand. This year is no exception. The Thailand tourism authorities expect some 100 thousand Chinese tourists in the whole of January, double the number in November.”
There's little sign of last summer's floods on the streets of Bangkok. And tourists are reappearing at many of the city's most popular spots, including many Chinese visitors.
One Chinese tourist said: “We heard about the flood in Thailand from the news. But after arriving here, I found the tourism facilities at different sightseeing spots remain unaffected. People here are still very friendly and the tourism services are just as good as before.”
One Chinese tourist said: “We are not concerned about the floods. Our tour guide told us the situation wasn't that bad.”
One Chinese tourist said: “People here are very hospitable. The environment and temperature are also quite agreeable.”
China ranked as Thailand's second biggest source of international tourists in 2011 after Malaysia. The number of visits amounted to 1.7 million, about a tenth of the total. The Thai tourism authority plans to launch various special packages to attract more Chinese this year.
Lerdchai Wangtrakoondee, associate director of Tourism Authority of Thailand, Beijing Office said: “After the Chinese New Year we will have the new plan. New promotion about the campaign to play golf in Thailand, to wedding in Thailand. Also we aim to improve the quality of tourism services. Every tourist comes to Thailand will receive good services, better services compared with other countries.”
Tourism is one of Thailand's pillar industries, accounting for 7 percent of the GDP. The sector took a pounding from the floods, with estimated losses of some seven to eight hundred million US dollars. China is Thailand's key target market in attracting tourists to revive the industry.
泰国的旅游业正在从去年十月洪水造成的影响中逐渐恢复。泰国仍对中国游客是一个最具吸引力的目的地。
记者:“春节一直是中国游客在泰国的高峰季节。今年也不例外。泰国旅游机构希望1月份的中国游客数量能达到10万名,这个数字是11月份的2倍。”
在曼谷的大街上几乎没有任何迹象表明去年夏天洪水曾经侵袭过这里。在最受欢迎的景点中开始出现游客的身影,其中也包括有中国游客。