Agencies call on government to find solution amid drop in Chinese visitors

Adith Chairattananon, secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), explained that during the long holiday period (Labour Day) in early May 2025, a total of 10.9 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad and returned, representing an increase of 28.7% compared to 2024, when 2.9 million Chinese nationals travelled overseas.

The most popular destinations were Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, with flights to Japan increasing by 53% compared to 2024.

However, he pointed out that flights to Thailand are currently being cancelled and reduced. Chinese charter operators serving Thailand are expected to cancel up to 68% of flights towards the end of this year, resulting in fewer flights to Thailand and higher ticket prices.

Additionally, confidence in Thailand’s safety has been affected, with the country’s image as unsafe causing cancellations and rerouting to alternative destinations. Meanwhile, infrastructure development in Thailand’s tourism and service industries lags behind neighbouring countries and competitors.

Adith noted that these impacts have created a crisis for the manufacturing, service, wholesale, and retail sectors, warning that Thailand could miss its target of 3.3 trillion baht in revenue from the tourism and service industries.

He added that the tourism workforce, comprising 4.6 million direct employees and 10.6 million indirect workers, is at risk of unemployment.

Furthermore, the decline in Chinese tourists has affected the broader tourism ecosystem, especially street food vendors, the Yaowarat and Banthat Thong districts, and shopping malls, many of which are gradually closing. 

“The private sector remains fragile, having only recently begun to recover from the Covid-19 crisis,” Adith said.

FETTA proposes measures to resolve tourism crisis

The Federation of Thai Tourism Associations (FETTA) has submitted a letter to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to highlight the current crisis situation. The Federation’s recommendations to the Thai government are divided into three phases as follows:

Urgent phase – 6 months within 2025:

• Diplomatic efforts: Invite the highest-level Chinese leaders to visit Thailand for the 50th anniversary celebration of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations on July 1.
   
• Public relations campaign: Promote positive and safety-related information to tourists worldwide.
   
• Enhanced safety measures: Collaborate to establish tourism volunteers following the UN Tourism guidelines.
   
• Review visa waiver policies: Limit free visa stays to no longer than 15 days.
   
• Support for charter flights: Back 1,000 special charter flights to Thailand and other key markets, expected to bring in no fewer than 200,000 tourists and generate over 10 billion baht in revenue (budget: 500 million baht).
   
• Support roadshows: Fund roadshows in China, other Chinese markets, the Middle East, Russia, India, South Korea, and Indonesia (budget: 50 million baht).
   
• Support World Tourism Forum: Promote Thailand as a global leader in tourism, providing a platform for stakeholders worldwide (budget: 10 million baht).
   
• Accelerate infrastructure development: Invest in domestic facilitation systems, particularly at major airports, improving connections from airports to city centres or key tourist destinations, and from primary to secondary cities.
   
• Establish a tourism risk management task force: Foster cooperation among the public sector, private sector, and academia to prevent and address future crises.
   
• Support digital marketing technology: Encourage Thai operators and platforms to implement systematic, ongoing initiatives such as voluntary QR code registration to track tourists from Suvarnabhumi Airport and major tourist sites, coupled with an alert system to enhance confidence.
   
• Improve online immigration registration: Enable tourists to register three days in advance to reduce queues, particularly aiding elderly travellers who may find it difficult to complete the process independently.
   

Medium and long term (2–4 years):

• Develop the senior workforce: Enable older workers to remain in employment longer by designing appropriate employment systems and welfare benefits for an ageing society.
   
• Amend laws: Simplify regulations and reduce barriers within the tourism ecosystem.
   
• Establish a tourism fund/bank: Create specialised financial support for tourism operators.
   
• Set up the Thailand tourism data and AI technology centre: Help the Thai tourism sector reduce dependence on foreign technology.