Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition
Tourists visit the scenic area of the Giza pyramids in Egypt.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Sui Xiankai
On February 6, Thailand welcomed the first batch of Chinese group tourists to resume outbound group tourism business on a pilot basis. The picture shows Chinese tour group tourists taking a group photo at the Grand Palace Scenic Area in Bangkok, Thailand.
Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Teng
Enjoy the tropical scenery of the blue sea and sky in Pattaya, Thailand, the majestic pyramids on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt, and the "modern" life of the international city in Dubai, UAE... With the orderly resumption of outbound tourism in China, more and more Chinese tourists are going abroad to enjoy exotic scenery.
According to the notice of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, from February 6, China piloted the resumption of national travel agencies and online travel enterprises to operate outbound group travel and "air ticket + hotel" business for Chinese citizens to 20 countries, and the outbound group business entered a recovery period. Overseas Chinese tourism practitioners are preparing for the spring of tourism.
"We are looking forward to Chinese tourists"
"There has been a marked increase in international flights between China and Thailand, tourist attractions and hotel bookings are full, and vehicles are hard to find. After 3 years, we finally feel that cross-border tourism between China and Thailand has recovered! Yu Linlin, president of the Thai-Chinese Jilin General Chamber of Commerce, said excitedly in an interview with this reporter.
On February 6, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China issued a notice on the pilot resumption of outbound group tourism, and Thailand welcomed the first batch of Chinese group tourists. The resplendent Grand Palace in Bangkok has seen a familiar Chinese tour group. On February 24, the Tourism Authority of Thailand held the "Magical Thailand New Chapter 2023 China Roadshow" event in Guangzhou, China, accelerating the recovery of Chinese tourists' travel to Thailand.
"Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket and Hua Hin are popular tourist destinations, with many new hotels, theme parks and leisure and entertainment venues, and tourism operators are looking forward to Chinese tourists!" Kwong Jinrong, chairman of the Thai-Chinese Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, said in an interview with this reporter, "China is the largest source of tourists to Thailand, and Thailand is one of the popular destinations for Chinese tourists to travel abroad. The recovery of Chinese tourists to Thailand is very strong. ”
Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, UAE, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Fiji, Cuba, Argentina... The first 20 countries to pilot were the first to welcome hordes of Chinese tourists.
Egypt was one of the first countries to welcome Chinese tourists after the pandemic. As early as this year's Spring Festival, Egypt welcomed the first batch of Chinese tourists after the epidemic. On January 20, at Cairo International Airport, Egypt, traditional Egyptian music was played, and local performers enthusiastically displayed the traditional Egyptian dance Grand Skirt Dance. The Chinese Embassy in Egypt, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Relics and the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation held a welcome ceremony for Chinese tourists. Printed with the words "Chinese friends, Egypt is waiting for you!" Bilingual banners in Chinese and Arabic express Egypt's warm welcome to Chinese tourists.
"Cross-border tourism between China and Egypt is an important area of cooperation promoted by the two governments. Compared with before the epidemic, the number of European tourists visiting Egypt has decreased significantly, and Chinese tourists have become the focus of Egypt's tourism industry. Chen Jiannan, president of the Egypt-China Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification, keenly perceives that the recovery of cross-border tourism between China and Egypt has released new opportunities.
In Malaysia, more and more Chinese tourists are becoming the "new normal" for local tourism. "At the beginning of this year, Malaysia welcomed long-awaited Chinese tourists! Recently, there are more and more Chinese faces in Jonker Street! Yan Tianlu, chairman of the Working Committee of Jonker Street in the historic district of Malacca, Malaysia, said in an interview with this reporter.
"Finally ushering in the dawn of cross-border travel"
Recently, Wu Yan, General Manager of Golden Pige International Travel Service in Dubai, UAE and overseas Chinese in Argentina, flew back to Shanghai from Dubai to promote UAE tourism at a tourism exchange summit. "The UAE is among the first pilot group tours. Everyone's enthusiasm for UAE tourism is very high, and many travel agencies have reached cooperation intentions on site. Wu Yan sighed in an interview with this reporter, "The hardest days for us 'tourists' have finally passed!" ”
"China is back." This is the latest "buzzword" in the Thai tourism market, and it is also a reflection of the hot situation of China's cross-border travel to Southeast Asia.
As one of the "must-visit check-in places" in Malacca, Malaysia, Jonker Street is obviously lively. "At present, the flow of people in Jonker Street has recovered to nearly 40% of the pre-epidemic level." Gan Tianlu said that the Malaysian historical monuments, archway buildings of Chinese cultural elements, and colorful local food and cultural exhibitions on Jonker Street allow Chinese tourists to not only experience the local culture of Malaysia, but also feel the unique vitality of Chinese culture spread overseas.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand recently predicted that the return of Chinese tourists will further boost Thailand's tourism industry, and it is expected that the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand will reach 300,000 in the first quarter of this year, and the number of Chinese tourists will reach 5 million throughout the year.
Kwong Jinrong introduced that Chinese tourists traveling to Thailand have shown some new development trends: first, the number of young tourists is increasing, and the way of travel has changed from traditional group tours to independent tours and themed tours; The second is the form of tourism, which has changed from traditional scenic spot sightseeing tours to vacation tours, in-depth tours and experience tours. "These new features of cross-border travel contain new business opportunities for our tourism industry practitioners." He said.
Hu Feng, general manager of Tajikistan Silk Road Youth Travel Agency, has also recently been busy reintegrating cross-border travel resources between China and Tajikistan. During the pandemic, Tajikistan's cross-border travel industry was almost "paralyzed". Recently, Hu Feng began to rearrange the quotation of tour groups, organize local Chinese tour guides, integrate transportation, accurately connect with hotels, and plan tourism routes on the spot... He hopes that sufficient preliminary preparations will be made before the explosive growth of Chinese tourism to Tajikistan. Although China's cross-border travel to Tajikistan has not yet been fully opened, Hu Feng can feel that "the dawn of cross-border travel has finally ushered in."
"With hope, I am more busy"
In Egypt, thousands of miles away from China, the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, the Egyptian Museum, the Nile, the Red Sea, the Sahara... The ancient and brilliant Egyptian civilization and unique natural scenery attract Chinese tourists.
"Egypt has unique tourism resources, which can not only satisfy the curiosity of Chinese tourists about exotic civilizations and scenery, but also allow Chinese tourists to experience surfing, snorkeling and other entertainment projects, and fully relax their minds." Chen Jiannan told this reporter that since last year, Egypt's tourism industry has gradually recovered, and tourism-related infrastructure and supporting services have been rapidly restarted. In order to seize this business opportunity, he is preparing to cooperate with Egypt's larger Golden Goblet Travel Agency as its representative to receive more Chinese tourists to Egypt.
"The tour group organized by overseas Chinese will prepare targeted services such as airport pick-up and drop-off for Chinese tourists, senior Chinese tour guides, Chinese food and other targeted services, and can also better help tourists understand local customs and habits, ensure the safety of food and driving, and do a good job in all-round services." Thinking about the future career development, Chen Jiannan is full of confidence.
"China's outbound tourism market has entered a recovery stage, and overseas Chinese engaged in tourism overseas are busy. Booking international flights, determining travel itineraries, and standardizing tour group prices, many preliminary preparations are in progress. The 'tourists' have hope and are more busy. Wu Yan said.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, before the pandemic, China was the world's largest tourism market. In 2019, Chinese tourists made 166 million international trips and spent US$270 billion on tourism, mostly to developing economies. Now, China's resumption of outbound travel has had a positive impact on the recovery of global tourism.
"Our Chamber of Commerce is also fully prepared to 'enter' the tourism industry." As a Chinese businessman who has been deeply engaged in the Thai market for many years, Kwong Jinrong is optimistic about Thailand's high-end and customized cultural tourism projects. "The Thai-Chinese Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Association receives a large number of business delegations from all over the world every year, and has accumulated rich experience in government affairs and business group reception services. Recently, the Thai Chinese Chemical Industry Group I run established a tourism company to create tailor-made travel routes for Chinese tourists and provide high-quality tourism, study and business visit services. He said.
"The Pamir Plateau tour, the M41 road off-road tour, is a classic business card of Tajikistan tourism. Young Chinese tourists also like to drive to explore the remains of the ancient Silk Road civilization. Hu Feng said, "As a practitioner in the cultural tourism industry, I hope to help Chinese tourists immerse themselves in the splendid civilization left by the thousand-year-old Silk Road, feel the rich historical memories of Central Asia, and experience the peaceful and simple life of the people in Central Asia." ”
"Seeing Chinese compatriots having fun and eating happily in Jonker Street is the most gratifying thing for me as an overseas cultural tourism industry practitioner." "Not long ago, Jonker Street represented Malaysia at the ASEAN Tourism Summit held in Indonesia to win the ASEAN Community Tourism Award. I believe that in the future, Jonker Street will welcome more Southeast Asian tourists, and welcome more Chinese tourists to Jonker Street to experience Malaysia up close! ”
Reporter Gao Qiao