Chinese internet giant Baidu has signed a partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to ease the trip planning process for independent travellers.
Baidu and TAT signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation which sees a one-stop information service integrated in Baidu Map and populated with 17,000 Thai points of interest.
The service aims to assist travellers in planning visits to local attractions, restaurants and for hotel stays.
It also features an audio smart guide in Thai and Chinese.
"Chinese tourists will have a wealth of information even before their departure and can always find more information upon their arrival in Thailand," said Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of TAT.
"We aim to restructure the market by expanding to high-end tourists from various cities of China like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing and Chengdu. This cooperation will help us reach this target group directly and rapidly," he added.
Supasorn said an increasing number of travellers from China are arranging thir own trips independently rather than relying on tours or packages.
Thailand welcomed about eight million tourists from the China mainland last year, nearly one third of total tourist arrivals.
A report conducted jointly by Baidu Thailand, Union Pay and Ctrip says just 41% of Chinese visitors joined group tours during a Thailand trip last year and that is expected to fall to about 26% by the end of 2016.
