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THAILAND’s pivotal Chinese tourism sector is on the rise and may get an additional boost due to tensions between China and South Korea and the banning of Chinese tour groups to South Korea this month, the head of a Thai travel group said on Tuesday.
“Chinese tourist numbers have recently increased by 15-20 percent to about 80 percent of last year’s levels, which is very encouraging,” Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association president Ronnarong Chewinsiriamnuai said.
He said tensions between China and South Korea over Seoul’s decision to deploy a US missile defence system, which Beijing says threatens its security, could further boost Chinese tourism.
The picture should be clearer after March 15, when Chinese tour groups to South Korea will be banned, Ronnarong said.
“That’s an opportunity for Thailand to see its tourism active again as more Chinese visitors are coming,” Ronnarong said.
The Chinese represent the biggest group of foreign holidaymakers to Thailand and the tourism sector has been a rare bright spot in a country, where economic growth has lagged regional peers.
Chinese tourism accounts for just over three percent of Thailand’s GDP.
In January, Chinese visitors rose 5.5 percent from a year earlier, but that was partly because the Lunar New Year fell in February in 2016.
In 2016, Thailand received 8.87 million Chinese tourists, down from 10 million it had expected before the crackdown. The military government expects nine million visitors this year. – Reuters
The post Thai tourism could gain from China-S.Korea spat, travel group says appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com