In all, 360 Chinese tourists were welcomed with gifts on arrival at the airport: 180 arriving on Air China Flight CA717 from Hangzhou, and 180 on China Southern Airlines Flight CZ6093 from Shenzhen.
However, the number of Chinese flying into Chiang Mai to celebrate their annual Golden Week holiday, from Oct 1-7, is expected to show an increase of 9.1% this year over 2018 reports the Bangkok Post.
Chiang Mai International Airport Director Amornrak Xumsai Na Ayudhaya said today (Oct 4) that there were no special flights or an increase in flights from China to Chiang Mai during the long holiday this year. Airlines operating on this route now had enough regular flights to handle the influx.
Chiang Mai airport now had 28 international services, of which 17 were with important towns in China. A total of 17 Chinese airlines now had flights into Chiang Mai, reported the Bangkok Post. (See story here.)
Mr Amornrak predicted that 23,000 Chinese tourists would visit Chiang Mai on Oct 1-7, a 9.1% increase on Golden Week last year.
However, numbers were still down comparatively. In 2017 Chinese arrivals for Golden Week were up 17.1% on last year's figure.
Mr Amornrak expected the total number of Chinese arrivals at Chiang Mai airport this year to exceed one million. Last year, 890,000 Chinese tourists arrived through Chiang Mai airport.
Last Saturday (Sept 28), Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana announced that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival this year is expected to generate B2 billion in tourism revenue. (See story here.)