Thailand Is China's Most-Visited Overseas Destination Once Again
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Thailand said they have regained its status as the top destination for Chinese tourists, driven by demand for the Chinese New Year, benefiting, just like Vietnam, from the tensions with Japan. They said roughly half of outbound flights on February 15 from China were destined for Southeast Asia, with 157 round-trip flights operated between China and Thailand. The average was 148 flights per day between China and Thailand over the week that ended this past Sunday. Meanwhile Thailand-Asean Halal Trade and Tourism Association said more than 10,000 Malaysians are set to visit Thailand during the Chinese New Year holiday. That is down from last year, most likely because Ramadan begins this Thursday. In Hat Yai and Southern Thailand, Malaysians were said to have taken up 50% of the hotel rooms. All hotels are fully booked for the Songkran festival in April, with most bookings made by Malaysian tourists.
Despite an overall decline in foreign tourist arrivals to
