!
Latest updates
kiwi Guarantee Book now and get protection against cancelations that would wouldn't get if you booked direct
Chiang Mai's Food Odyssey: Street Eats to Gourmet Feasts
Bangkok Airways to Resurrect Vital Flight Routes to Northern Thailand
Thai Vietjet Air: Exclusive May Offers for FUN Rewards Members
Hua Hin Airport anticipates surge in international flights after expansion
No more flights to Mae Hong Son
Really Cool Airlines to launch in December (Really!)
6 Steps to Grabbing Cheap Flights - DomesticFlightsThailand
Getting Around Bangkok
Koh Lanta: A Hidden Treasure Near Krabi
Sea, Sand, and Surf in Thailand: Top 5 Spots
All news
More travel guides
Thailand Lures Chinese Tourists for Songkran 2014
20th Apr 2014
China ranks 3rd only as the most visited country in the world but the country ranks first as the biggest source of tourists with more than 97 million Chinese tourists traveled abroad in 2013.
Chinese tourists are expected to grow in number this year and Thailand will continue to be one of their favorite destinations in Asia. Based on the data released by Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) Kunming Office, Chinese carriers flying to Thailand reported a surge in load factor by up to 90%.
According to Euromonitor data, Thailand is the 4th most favorite destination for Chinese tourists in 2012 with over 2.8 million visited the country.
The Songkran festivities have always been a tourist attraction for many Chinese tourists every year. Chinese tourists who made overland trips to Thailand during Songkran festival surged by up to 152% over the previous year's celebration. The figure was based on advance bookings made by Chinese tourists months before the festival.
Chinese tourists who traveled overland through Thailand for Songkran festival stay at least one week and up to 14 days at once.
Via air travel, Chinese tourists preferred Phuket over any other Thai international gateways as their point of entry into the country. Bangkok came in second only to Phuket while Chiang Rai came in third, thanks in part to its close proximity to China. The city is closer to China's southernmost border than any other major points of entry in Thailand.
Orient Thai Airlines is one Thai airline that was able to attract a sizable number of Chinese tourists to the country during the festivities connecting Kunming with Phuket, Krabi and Surat Thani. The China Eastern Airlines, meanwhile, registered an 80% load factor for its Kunming-Phuket flights between April 14 and 20.
Advanced bookings on flights to Bangkok also posted a healthy load factor for many carriers from both China and Thailand during Songkran 2014. Thai Airways, AirAsia and China Eastern Airlines reportedly posted an average of 80% load factor during the period. Hainan Airlines is another Chinese carrier that reported a 60% load factor for its Hainan-Bangkok route.
The Tourism of Thailand has been pitching to Chinese tourists other interesting but less well-known destinations in the country during New Year festival such as Ko Samed, Koh Chang, Lampang, Krabi, Hua Hin, Trang, Sukhothai, Cha-am and Koh Samui.
Many Chinese carriers are beginning to open more routes between China mainland cities and key tourist destinations in Thailand outside Bangkok.
Related News
Thai Vietjet Air: Exclusive May Offers for FUN Rewards Members
Hua Hin Airport anticipates surge in international flights after expansion
