Thailand remains the most popular destination for Chinese tourists

Thailand so far remains the most popular destination for Chinese tourists from Shanghai, according to a report on the tourism forum in Shanghai World Travel Fair. The data are based on analysis of outbound tourism in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangdong, writes Visitchina.ru.

For Thailand, followed by South Korea and Japan. The United States and France took fourth and fifth place. "For the first time, the two countries took place in the top five among the preferences of Chinese tourists," - experts say. In their view, Japan began to visit less often because of a territorial dispute - Diaoyu archipelago in the East China Sea. Meanwhile, the TV series "Lost in Thailand", which became very popular in China, fueled the interest of Chinese tourists to the Asian kingdom. A hit Gangman Style and shopping have increased the number of tourists in Korea.

Also noted that the Shanghainese prefer not to travel abroad during the holidays, and in the so-called "low" tourist season. In 2012 more than 102 thousand tourists from Shanghai visited the United States in organized groups, up 101% compared with 2011. "The growth performance is due to a simplification of the visa regime between the U.S. and China" - the newspaper "Shanghai Daily". As for the once popular in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, travelers from Shanghai began to visit them often.