During a meeting with a Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa, Mr Xiang – who is a Vice President of the Xi’an People’s Political Consultative Conference – said the twinning of the cities would result in increased flows of tourists in both directions.
Xi’an is famed for its imperial tombs containing thousands of terracotta warriors, dating back 2,500 years.
Mr Xiang said he was also interested in establishing cultural exchanges with Phuket. The large proportion of Thai-Chinese in Phuket’s population share a common heritage with Xi’an, he pointed out.
Two direct flights a week currently bring tourists to Phuket from Xi’an. A third flight will be added next month.
V/Gov Sommai said after the meeting that she would discuss the Chinese approach with Governor Tri Augkaradacha and relevant authorities, to see if Phuket is ready to establish a closer relationship with Xi’an.
Phuket is already twinned with nine other places worldwide. These are Bali, Nice in France, Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, Las Vegas, the Crimea in Ukraine, Nakhodka in Russia, and Hainan, Yantai and Xiuning in China.