At Bangkok's Sampran Riverside Park Organic Farm, visitors experience traditional Thai clay sculpture handicrafts.
The Chao Phraya River runs through the city from north to south, and is home to a number of cultural heritage sites along its banks. The picture shows tourists taking a boat on the Chao Phraya River during the Spring Festival to experience the natural scenery and cultural charm along the coast.
The above ** are all taken by reporter Bai Yuanqi of this newspaper.
Driven by Southeast Asian countries**, the regional tourism industry is recovering strongly. From the Grand Palace in Thailand to the Katong Night Market in Brunei, from the Cheng and Cultural Districts of Malacca in Malaysia to the ancient street business district of Hanoi in Vietnam, there are many people and bustling with people. Ctrip's latest statistics show that during the 2024 Chinese New Year period, the number of bookings from Chinese tourists to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand increased significantly compared to the same period last year. The strong flavor of the Chinese New Year and the colorful celebration of the Year of the Dragon have made Southeast Asia a popular destination for Chinese tourists to travel abroad during this year's Spring Festival.
The number of tourists from many countries exceeded the expected target.
In 2023, the tourism industry of Southeast Asian countries performed well. According to the latest data released by the Thai tourism department a few days ago, the country will receive more than 28 million foreign tourists in 2023, achieving tourism revenue of 1 trillion baht (1 yuan is about 5 baht). Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sudawan, said that the tourism industry in 2023 has achieved the expected target, injecting impetus into Thailand's economic growth.
According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the country received about 12.6 million foreign tourists in 2023, exceeding the target of 8 million set at the beginning of the year. Vietnam continues to receive multiple awards from the United Nations Tourism Organization in 2023, including being named a World Leading Heritage Destination for the fourth time and Asia's Leading Tourism Destination for the fifth time.
In 2023, Laos was named one of the most attractive tourist destinations by National Geographic magazine. Many tourists are impressed by the country's unique natural landscapes, diverse ethnic cultures, and peaceful and pleasant living atmosphere. In the first three quarters of 2023, the country received 2.4 million foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 285%, and the number of foreign tourists for the whole year is expected to be between 2.9 million and 3.3 million.
According to Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, the number of international tourists in Indonesia is expected to reach more than 11 million in 2023, exceeding the preset target. According to data recently released by the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, the country received a total of 4.9 million foreign tourists from January to November 2023, and the number of foreign tourists is expected to be 5.4 million for the whole year.
International Tourism Information**"Tourism**" recently calculated based on the data of the first 11 months of 2023, and said that the recovery rate of Cambodia's tourism industry is 9248%, Vietnam and Indonesia each have a recovery rate of 8225% and 7411%。The ** noted that Southeast Asia's tourism industry has grown significantly in 2023, with the number of international tourist arrivals and the aviation and hospitality sectors showing good development.
Southeast Asian countries** are also seeing rapid growth in bookings. According to a 2023 report by Google, Temasek and Bain, Indonesia's ** tourism penetration rate is about 45%, and the average annual growth rate of the tourism market is 10%-15%. In 2023, ** tourism will drive the growth of Malaysia's related industries by US$4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 49%.
Take multiple measures to create a characteristic tourism brand.
In order to promote the development of their own tourism industry and attract more foreign tourists, Southeast Asian countries have taken multiple measures to create their own unique tourism brands according to local conditions and give full play to their advantages.
Since the launch of the "Cambodian Year of Tourism" in the first half of 2023, Cambodia has held dozens of activities across the country, such as river festivals and marathons, to attract domestic and foreign tourists to participate. Various parts of Vietnam have actively carried out tourism promotion activities and launched a number of new tourism products to attract more foreign tourists. For example, Hanoi City launched 15 night-time tourism products for the first time to tap new growth points for the tourism industry.
Malaysia offers a variety of themed tourism products that allow visitors to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature in places such as rainforests, islands and national parks, as well as underwater diving. Malaysia's unique bird resources and rich ecosystem provide an unforgettable experience for birdwatchers.
In Indonesia, the Sanur Special Economic Zone in Bali will be officially opened this year. This is the country's first health special economic zone that will provide health tourism and ** services to domestic and foreign tourists in Indonesia.
Some countries are actively improving infrastructure such as airports to better meet the travel needs of tourists. In September 2023, the new terminal of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, was officially opened, which can take off and land up to 28 aircraft at the same time and can transport 15 million passengers per year. Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, jointly built by China and Cambodia, officially opened at the end of last year. The airport will initially handle 7 million passengers per year, which will increase to 10 million in 2030 and 20 million in 2050.
Since the beginning of this year, countries in the region have continued to increase their efforts to promote tourism. Laos has launched a tourism policy of "Everyone Visits Laos" and held the "Laos Tourism Year" event. During this period, 79 related activities will be held in many places across the country. The country has proposed to attract more than 4.6 million domestic and foreign tourists this year, and strive to achieve tourism revenue of 7$1.2 billion. Indonesia** plans to create 4.4 million tourism-related jobs by 2024 and plans to invest US$1.2 billion in personnel training and marketing to boost tourism recovery.
According to the "ASEAN Economic Outlook 2024" recently released by S&P Global Market Research, tourism is the economic backbone of many Southeast Asian countries, and it is expected that the region's tourism industry will continue to grow this year as domestic demand continues to expand and international tourism is expected to return to pre-COVID levels.
Actively attract Chinese tourists.
This year's Spring Festival, many Chinese tourists have made Southeast Asian countries their tourist destinations. Alipay's outbound travel data shows that during the Spring Festival holiday, the amount spent by Chinese tourists in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand increased nearly sixfold compared to 2023. Among them, Thailand topped the list of spending amounts, and Malaysia also performed well, with the largest increase in spending by Chinese tourists among the three countries.
Some countries in Southeast Asia have successively introduced visa-free policies to attract more Chinese tourists. At the end of 2023, Malaysia will implement visa-free access for Chinese citizens within 30 days of entry. On January 28 this year, China and Thailand signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption for ordinary passport holders, which will officially enter into force on March 1. Recently, major travel platforms have ushered in a search boom for popular attractions in the two countries. Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy said the country is considering a visa-free entry policy for Chinese nationals.
Some national airports, tourist attractions and other places have added Chinese signs to facilitate Chinese tourists to travel and visit. After the reporter landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, according to the Chinese logo, the entry procedures were quickly completed. If you need to handle ** card, exchange foreign currency, car rental and other services, the corresponding counter also has a detailed Chinese guide. At Da Nang International Airport, passenger information, terminal maps, airport**, restaurant and café menus are all available in Chinese, and a complete set of Chinese e-guidebooks has been produced for passengers to scan the QR code for self-service.
Some Southeast Asian countries are also partnering with Chinese companies to facilitate the use of digital services such as mobile payments for Chinese tourists. The LRT in Bangkok, Thailand, has accepted WeChat Pay for tickets at all 68 stations on the Dark Green Line and Light Green Line. The reporter learned that at present, some services on China's mobile payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat can be used in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and other countries.
Many airlines are planning to add new routes or operate additional flights. Vietnam Airlines added a new direct tourist route from Shanghai Pudong to Phu Quoc Island on January 19. Thai Airways will increase the frequency of flights between major Chinese cities and Bangkok from March 31, and the number of flights between Bangkok and Kunming and Chengdu will be increased from five and four to seven per week, respectively.
Tapeni, director of the National Tourism Administration of Thailand, told this reporter that Chinese tourists are warmly welcome to travel to Thailand. By re-integrating tourism products and attraction resources, Thailand's tourism authorities are looking forward to further improving the satisfaction of Chinese tourists and creating a pleasant and memorable travel experience for tourists.
BANGKOK, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) --