Bangkok, 27 August, 2016 – The third Sino-Thai Culture and Tourism Friendship Caravan 2016 recently set off from Ordos in Inner Mongolia. Its ultimate destination will be Bangkok, having passed through China, Laos PDR and Thailand, where it will stop off at several of the kingdom’s tourist attractions.
The caravan was opened on 22 August, 2016, by Mr. Ding Wei, China’s Deputy Minister of Culture who spoke of the strong ties between Thailand and China.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said: “China is Thailand’s most important market for tourists and we welcome our Chinese neighbours with open arms. This Friendship Caravan will not only showcase the region’s many amazing attractions but also help to strengthen the bonds between our nations and our people.”
China is Thailand’s leading source market and its fastest growing. In 2015, Thailand attracted 7.9 million Chinese visitors, generating over 376 billion Baht in revenue, up respectively 71 per cent and 87 per cent over 2014.
This year, from January to July, Chinese visitors to Thailand totalled 5,764,839, or a year-on-year increase of 20.54 per cent. TAT is projecting about 10.5 million Chinese visitors with a projected expenditure of 509 billion Baht for the entire 2016.
