Thailand tourism first time welcomes Chinese tourists lower than Vietnam

Thailand is facing growing challenges in attracting Chinese tourists, who increasingly chose to visit Japan and Vietnam over Thailand in the first quarter of this year.

According to a report by Krungthep Turakij, Japan welcomed 2.36 million Chinese tourists from January to March, while Vietnam welcomed 1.6 million visitors from China in the same period - up 78% year-on-year.

In contrast, Thailand welcomed only 1.33 million Chinese tourists in the past three months, marking a 24% drop year-on-year. This is believed to be the first time Thailand has welcomed fewer Chinese tourists than Vietnam.

On a daily basis, the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand dropped sharply, reaching a 2025 low of 5,833 on April 16, down from an average of 15,000 to 20,000.

Chinese tourists wearing traditional Thai costumes while visiting Wat Arun in Bangkok

PHOTO: REUTER

Ms. Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, Northern Region CEO of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), described the country's Chinese tourist market as being in a state of "crisis upon crisis" by 2025, according to The Nation newspaper.

Not only did she point out safety concerns from China's perspective and the recent earthquake in late March, but she also pointed out geopolitical tensions and the trade war that have begun to have a clear impact.

Part of the decline stems from the Chinese government 's domestic tourism stimulus policy, which encourages people to travel domestically while also attracting foreign tourists by promoting the country's rich and diverse travel experiences.

“As every country faces economic difficulties and exports are falling, tourism has become an important driver of domestic spending. As a result, Thailand is facing more competition than ever,” she explained.

Sharing the same view, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, advisor to the Thai Travel Agents Association, said Thailand is facing the worst crisis in the Chinese market in many years, according to the Bangkok Post .

“The last time we faced a major decline was in 2018, after the deadly boat accident in Phuket,” he said, referring to the sinking of a tourist boat that killed 47 people.

“The situation is more difficult now as the market is affected by a number of negative factors, led by the economic impact of US tariffs and China’s policy of promoting inbound travel,” said Sisdivachr.

As of April 20, the number of Chinese tourists arriving this year was 1.5 million, followed by Malaysians with 1.4 million and Russians with 835,385, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

During the Songkran festival, the number of daily Chinese visitors increased 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 the daily number of Chinese tourists rarely dropped below 15,000.

Even if daily arrivals recover to 10,000 to 15,000 for the rest of this year, the total number of Chinese visitors annually will only reach 4.2 million to 5.5 million, far below the government's target of 7 million and less than the 6.7 million arrivals last year.

Chinese tourists on the streets of Thailand

PHOTO: THE NATION

Against this backdrop, Thailand is preparing to invite 600 travel agents and key influencers from more than 30 provinces in China to Thailand. Mr. Sisdivachr said these efforts would be more effective than doing nothing.

Asia Aviation and Thai AirAsia CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya stressed that one of the main challenges for the Chinese tourism market is the persistent lack of confidence in Thailand's safety, which has persisted since the beginning of the year.

He called on the government to act quickly to restore confidence. “We have high hopes for the Tourism Authority of Thailand and urge the government to urgently improve Thailand’s image among Chinese tourists and allocate a larger budget to promote Chinese tourism to Thailand,” he said.

Yuthasak Supasorn, former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the government should respond quickly to tourism safety concerns by improving reputation management, relying on online and offline partnerships across all sectors.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/du-lich-thai-lan-dau-don-khach-trung-quoc-thap-hon-viet-nam-185250507110954007.htm