Thailand expects to draw 5.5m Chinese visitors in 2015

BANGKOK, November 10 (TNA) - Thailand, through the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, is promoting Thai lifestyles to woo foreign tourists, as part of the ministry's campaigns to raise the number of Chinese visitors to the Kingdom to 5-5.5 million next year, from 4-4.5 million this year. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul told journalists on Monday that Thai lifestyles will be a main highlight of Thai tourism campaigns in 2015. Kobkarn said the theme of the Thai lifestyles campaign has already been introduced in a travel fair in Britain and received a very warm welcome from European tourists. According to the minister, European tourists stay 10 days per trip in Thailand on average, but Britons stay 17 days on average, compared with other foreign visitors who stay 8-9 days per trip on average. The minister stated that she will also present the theme at the China International Travel Mart 2014, set to be held in Shanghai from November 14-16, noting that she will leave for Shanghai on November 12. Apart from the campaign on Thai lifestyles, the minister acknowledged that cycling routes in 47 Thai provinces will also be officially launched next year. The tourism and sports minister predicted Thailand should receive 25.5 million international visitors throughout this year, compared with 26.5 million last year, citing impacts from domestic political protests from late 2013-mid 2014, pointing out, however, that the Thai tourism is recovering in the last quarter of this year. The minister revealed that a three-month-long visa fee exemption for visitors from China and Taiwan expired on November 8, 2014 and it was not extended because of considerable arrivals in Thailand of Chinese tourists so far. (TNA)