Ctrip gives Chinese tourists a tasty treat in Bangkok

CHINA’S largest online travel agency Ctrip has just entered Thailand’s food and beverage market by launching its first gourmet food listing in Bangkok.

“Bangkok is an important city in South East Asia with Thai cuisine reflecting food diversity and inclusiveness,” Ctrip CEO of Gourmet Kimi Liu said at the launch in Bangkok last week.

“It is the gastronomical capital of local delicacies and boutique cuisine, expressing the rich gourmet culture of Southeast Asia,” he added.

Since 2016, Ctrip has constantly been adding to its gourmet list which includes dining options in 120 popular destinations in China and around the world.

And now, it’s Bangkok’s time to join the party with 303 restaurant listings.

Among the restaurants are nine Ctrip Star restaurants (two two-star and seven one-star), 206 “Ctrip Selected” restaurants and 88 “Ctrip Flavor” restaurants.

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Ctrip isn’t the first travel and tourism platform to produce a dining guide for Bangkok, but Liu explained to Travel Daily Media how it differs from established guides such as Michelin.

“…it differs from other guides because it is not just about food but more about bringing cultures together and connecting cuisine to lifestyle and travel.”

“Our goal is not only to satisfy customer needs or to discover local foods — but to find that personal connection as well.”

Liu also explained how the assumption that Chinese tourists will only want to eat Chinese food when traveling is outdated.

“…if they are in London they want to try fish and chips, in Thailand, they want pad thai and in Japan, it’s sushi and sashimi.”

Chinese tourists’ travel destinations will determine which cities make it on to the list.

But there’s no doubt about the worthiness of Bangkok’s entries given that one-fifth of outbound Chinese travelers visited Thailand in 2017.

Lui confirmed Tokyo, Japan will be next on the list and added the market is very different to Thailand.

The post Ctrip gives Chinese tourists a tasty treat in Bangkok appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.

Source: travelwireasia.com