Tag: china

Cat Links TRAVELLING

Nearly 2,000 Chinese flights to enter Thailand in coming months

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

Nearly 2,000 Chinese flights are set to enter Thailand in the coming months.

Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) authorised1,910 flights from China to enter the kingdom, with 671 expected to arrive in February and 970 slated for arrival in March, according to CAAT president Suttipong Kongpool.

In addition, the CAAT has received 6,318 flight requests for the period from February 13 to 19, bringing the total number of flights for February 2023 to 25,256. A total of 269 Chinese flights already arrived in the country last month.

The increase in flights follows the relaxation of travel restrictions by the Thai government after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the lifting of harsh border restrictions by China on January 8.

A number of Chinese airlines, such as Air China and Air China Southern, have requested to fly to Thailand, operating from various cities in China to various destinations in Thailand.

Suttipong stated that the return of Chinese tourists will result in bustling travel both domestically and internationally in Thailand from February 13 to 19.

Chinese tourists are rushing into Thailand now that China has lifted border restrictions.

The first direct tour group flights from mainland China to Thailand marked a milestone in the recovery of the Thai tourism industry. One flight landed at Don Mueang International Airport on February 6 with 40 Chinese tour group members and 90 other travellers. A second flight also landed that day in Phuket. In total, 13 flights with tour groups from China landed in Thailand on February 6.

During their trips to Thailand, Chinese tourists have enjoyed a variety of the kingdom’s sites and attractions.

Chinese tourists are flocking to the Folding Umbrella Market in Thailand’s central province of Samut Songkram. The market is set up alongside a railway line and when a train

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Cat Links VACATION

Lunar New Year holiday trips surge in China after lifting of Covid restrictions

Posted on Thomas B. Stewart

By Nectar Gan and CNN’s Beijing bureau

China saw 226 million domestic trips during the Lunar New Year holiday, state media reported, a 74% surge from last year after the government lifted all travel curbs under its now-abandoned zero-Covid policy.

For the first time in three years, Chinese people were free to travel without the hassle of quarantine or fear of lockdown for the most important holiday of the year, when families reunite in their hometowns to celebrate the new year or go on vacation together.

The number of trips made inside China during the week-long holiday, which ended on Friday, is the highest since 2020. They include journeys made by all means from flights, trains and cars to boats.

But the figure still fell far below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, 421 million domestic trips were made over the holiday.

The pent-up demand for travel saw China’s tourist hotspots flooded with crowds during the holiday, from the tropical beaches on Hainan island to the ancient villages in the mountainous Yunnan province.

Overseas travels also skyrocketed after China finally reopened its borders earlier this month. During the Lunar New Year holiday, 2.88 million trips were made across the border, an increase of 120% from last year, according to the National Immigration Administration.

During the Lunar New Year holiday in 2019, 12.53 million cross-border trips were made, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chinese government abruptly abandoned its costly zero-Covid policy in December, following mass protests against stringent lockdowns and Covid tests.

The sudden lifting of restrictions saw the virus spread rapidly throughout the country and caught the healthcare system unprepared. Residents were left to scramble for fever medicines and antiviral treatments, while hospitals and crematoriums were overwhelmed.

With once-ubiquitous Covid testing mostly scrapped, the government stopped reporting the majority

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