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People disembark at the pier in Pattaya, Thailand, where thousands of Chinese employees from sales firm Infinitus will converge for a holiday paid for by the company. Photo: AFP

Chinese firm sends 12,700 employees on Thai holiday after billionaire's record treat in France

AFP

A Chinese company is sending more than 12,000 people on a holiday to Thailand, tourism officials said, with one resort hosting a series of back-to-back banquets catering to thousands of guests at a time.

Thailand’s tourism body said the enormous group of holidaymakers was one of the largest they had accommodated from a company in China, where employees and customers are often rewarded for meeting targets.

“It will be a challenge but it’s one we relish,” Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, the executive director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s public relations wing, said.

The 12,700 tourists are being sent by Infinitus China, a direct-sales company, and began arriving in Thailand on May 10, Chattan said.

They will travel in groups of 2,000 to 3,000 at a time and will make a six-day trip to Bangkok and the nearby seaside town of Pattaya, he added.

Those arriving include employees of the firm as well as freelance sales staff and regular customers.

Itthiphol Kunplome, Pattaya’s mayor, confirmed that the first batch of nearly 3,000 employees had begun arriving in his city.

“We are ready to welcome them and ready to facilitate their activities while they are in Pattaya,” he said.

DON'T MISS: Chinese billionaire treats 6,400 employees to holiday in France - all in one go

The visit comes less than a week after France received more than 6,000 Chinese holidaymakers from a single Chinese firm that booked 4,760 rooms in 79 four-and five-star hotels.

A tour guide involved in the colossal task of organising 400 coach trips to ferry the groups said 300 colleagues would be on hand until the last holidaymaker leaves on May 23.

“The company chose Thailand because they were impressed with our beaches, temples, cultural performances and fruits,” he said, asking not to be named.

Chattan said all the guests would attend one of a series of giant banquets at the Royal Cliff Hotel in Pattaya. A planning schedule shows the hotel intends to host four nights of giant banquets, the largest of which will feed 3,935.

Tourism is one of Thailand’s largest earners, usually accounting for around 10 per cent of GDP, and China sends the largest number of tourists.

But the industry has taken a hit thanks to ongoing political instability and a significant drop in Russian arrivals following the rouble’s depreciation.

Another Chinese firm, Tiens Group celebrated its 20th anniversary by sending 6,400 employees to France - the biggest-ever tour group to visit the European nation.

The trip required 84 commercial planes, 4,760 rooms in 79 four- and five-star hotels in Cannes and Monaco, and 146 buses to drive them around.

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