Thailand is worried that Vietnam tourism will soon be the top in Southeast Asia.

(Dan Tri) - Thailand is currently facing many challenges as for the first time, the number of Chinese tourists is lower than that of Vietnam. Many experts in this country are concerned that Thai tourism will soon be surpassed by Vietnam.

The numbers speak for themselves.

According to the latest statistics from Krungthep Turakij (Thailand), in the first quarter of this year, Vietnam is witnessing a record increase in the number of Chinese visitors, reaching 1.6 million arrivals and an increase of 78% over the same period last year.

In contrast, Thailand only welcomed 1.3 million visitors from this country in the first three months of the year, marking a 24% decrease compared to the same period last year.

This is a sign that makes many Thai tourism experts express concern.

Ms. Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, Northern Region Executive Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), described the number of Chinese tourists coming to Thailand at this time as falling into a "crisis on top of crisis" for many reasons.

Thailand is seeing a year-on-year decline in Chinese tourists (Photo: SCMP).

One of the factors that makes Chinese tourists consider not choosing Thailand as a tourist destination is safety. This appeared since the end of March when the earthquake occurred. Geopolitical tensions and trade wars also have a clear impact.

Ms. Pattaraanong also noted that part of the reason for this decline stems from the Chinese government ’s domestic tourism stimulus policy, which encourages people to increase domestic tourism and attract international visitors by promoting diverse experiences.

"Every country is facing economic difficulties, exports are falling. Tourism is becoming an important driver of domestic spending. Therefore, Thailand is facing greater competition than ever," Ms. Pattaraanong emphasized.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has made significant progress in welcoming visitors from the billion-people country. According to data from the General Statistics Office, China continued to be the largest market sending visitors in April with 368,074 arrivals. In terms of market, in the first four months of the year, the number of visitors from this country increased sharply by 56.7% compared to the same period last year.

Thai tourism industry worries about being surpassed by Vietnamese tourism

Faced with this information, many Thai travel businesses expressed concern, fearing that they will lose their position as the leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia to Vietnam in the next few years.

Nha Trang is becoming an attractive international tourist destination in Vietnam this summer (Photo: MK).

Mr. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, Chairman of the Chon Buri Tourism Association, said that in the next 2-3 years, Vietnam could surpass Thailand in terms of total international visitors.

"Vietnam has a lower cost of living than Thailand. Many new resorts and family-friendly amusement parks are being built at cheaper prices than similar products in Thailand. In particular, all-inclusive hotel tours in Vietnam are even half the price in Thailand," Mr. Thanet cited.

In addition, according to this person, Vietnam is offering many measures to support international travel businesses, especially from Russia, and cooperating to reduce airfares. This has caused many companies to switch tours from Phuket to Nha Trang this summer.

This year, Vietnam has set a target of welcoming 23 million international visitors. Thailand's Ministry of Finance has lowered its forecast from 38.5 million to 36.5 million to match the current situation.

According to the Chairman of the Chon Buri Tourism Association, many major cities in Vietnam are located just 30-45 minutes drive from tourist areas. Meanwhile, tourists who want to go to Hua Hin or Kanchanaburi have to spend more than 3 hours by car from the airport in Bangkok.

"We are relying on previous advantages. If we do not develop more infrastructure and new attractions to attract visitors and the government is not more determined, the target of 36.5 million foreign visitors this year will be difficult to achieve," Mr. Thanet said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/thai-lan-lo-thap-thom-so-du-lich-viet-nam-som-dung-dau-dong-nam-a-20250508101428094.htm