2 weeks Ago
Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand continue to nosedive, posting a low for 2025 of 5,833 arrivals on April 16, down from an average of 15,000 to 20,000. A senior industry executive has called the current trend a “crisis”, while a former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says a reputation management strategy is needed, along with strengthening online engagement with the country’s biggest source market. Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, advisory chairman of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said Thailand is dealing with its worst crisis in the Chinese market in the past several years.
“The last time we faced a massive decline was in 2018, following the deadly boat incident in Phuket,” he said, referring to the sinking of a tour boat that left 47 people dead. “The situation now is tougher because the market is affected by several negative factors, led by the economic impact of the US tariffs and the Chinese policy to promote domestic trips,” said Mr Sisdivachr. As of April 20, the number of Chinese arrivals this year was 1.
5 million, followed by Malaysians at 1.4 million and Russians at 835,385, according the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. During the Songkran festival, daily Chinese arrivals rose to 16,000 on April 11, but continued to decline afterwards.
Mr Sisdivachr said the situation was in stark contrast to the period before the kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing, when daily arrivals from China rarely dropped below 15,000. He said that even if daily arrivals recover to 10,000 to 15,000 for the remainder of this year, the annual tally from China would only reach 4.2 million to 5.
5 million, far short of the government’s target of 7 million and less than the 6.7 million arrivals last year. In pre-pandemic 2019, Thailand welcomed 11 million Chinese visitors as it set a record of 40 million foreign arrivals overall.
Mr Sisdivachr said that as the Chinese economy is predicted to face headwinds from US tariffs, Beijing is ramping up efforts to promote domestic tourism by developing infrastructure and new tourism attractions nationwide. He said these moves, along with the policy offering a visa-free transit of 240 hours in China, have helped to maximise the international market, including Thai travellers who have been granted visa-free entry since last year. The TAT is now preparing to host several familiarisation trips, inviting 600 agents and key opinion leaders from more than 30 provinces in China in order to increase tour group visits.
Mr Sisdivachr said these efforts should be more effective than doing nothing. Yuthasak Supasorn, a former TAT governor, said the government should quickly respond to travel safety concerns by improving reputation management, relying on online and offline partnerships across all sectors. He said Thai tourism needs integrated campaigns to highlight unique products, which should enhance trust and improve the appeal of the country as a destination, particularly for custom packages that can reach niche markets.
Mr Yuthasak said partnerships with airlines, tour companies and online travel agents, as well as close relations with embassies, trade offices and cultural institutions in Thailand, remain necessary to rebuild confidence among travellers..
