What impact will the Chinese tourists’ departure never return have on Thailand?

A whopping 35.38 million tourists visited Thailand last year, one-third of which were from China. According to Thai media reports, the cruise ship "Phoenix" capsized off the coast of Phuket on the 5th of last month, killing 47 Chinese tourists on board. Although the Thai government immediately strengthened various safety measures after the shipwreck, hoping to restore the confidence of Chinese tourists, according to statistics from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand has fallen for two consecutive months.

A whopping 35.38 million tourists visited Thailand last year, one-third of which were from China. However, the capsizing incident of the Phoenix on July 5 became Thailand's deadliest tourist accident in recent years, which not only severely damaged Thailand's tourism image, but also affected the willingness of Chinese tourists to visit Thailand.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand said that Chinese tourist arrivals fell by 0.9% in July, the first decline since 2017. Even though the Thai government vigorously cracked down on "zero-fare" tour groups last year, Chinese tourists continued to grow in 2017.

What worries the Thai government is that although it has entered late August, there is no obvious return of Chinese tourists. According to statistics from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, there were fewer Chinese tourists in August than in July, and there will be a 14.3% drop by the end of the month. The number of Chinese tourists from July to December is expected to drop by 669,000, and a rough estimate of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand in the second half of the year is about 5.15 million.

According to reports, the Thai government and private industry are now placing their hopes on the upcoming "China Golden Week" in October, Virat Chatturaputpitak, vice chairman of the Thailand Tourism Association, said in an interview on the 22nd , the "Phoenix" shipwreck dealt a huge blow to the business operators in Phuket, but he still said optimistically,

"Chinese tourists will definitely come back!"

There are dedicated pick-ups from China A group tour travel operator said, “This year is the year with the fewest Chinese tourists in the 20 years since the company has been in business.” He also complained to reporters, “We have been waiting for those Chinese tourists that we can’t wait for.”

Statistics from the Thailand Hotel Association show that the booking rate of Chinese tourists in Phuket dropped by 30% in July and August compared with the same period last year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand stated that 6 Chinese airlines have currently canceled 19 routes to Phuket.

According to previous reports, in order to attract more Chinese tourists to visit Thailand, on August 3, the Thai Immigration Bureau and the Tourism Police announced the opening of dedicated customs clearance aisles for Chinese inbound passengers at five major airports in Thailand. Check whether the dedicated customs clearance aisle for Chinese inbound passengers at the airport has been put in place. Major General Surachet, deputy director of the Thailand Tourism Police, once again emphasized the importance of Chinese tourists to Thailand's tourism. He said that 9.8 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand last year and hoped that this number could exceed 10 million this year.

In addition to opening a dedicated aisle for Chinese inbound tourists, the Thai Immigration Bureau is also studying the possibility of opening multiple entry visas, which will provide Chinese business travelers and frequent "heavy tourists" with more convenient access. Entering Thailand.

Thailand Immigration Bureau officials said that in addition to Suvarnabhumi Airport providing 18 express clearance lanes for Chinese passengers, Don Mueang Airport also has 21 lanes, Chiang Mai Airport 8 lanes, Phuket Airport 18 lanes and Hat Yai. Airport 10. In addition, customs officers who are proficient in Chinese will be stationed at the express clearance aisle to serve Chinese passengers.

According to reports, after the sightseeing ship Phoenix capsized off the coast of Phuket on July 5, killing 47 Chinese tourists, more and more Chinese tourists canceled their tours. Previously, Surachet led a number of Chinese media and Chinese maritime experts to jointly inspect 8 piers along the Phuket coast to convince the Chinese people that it is safe to visit Thailand and restore the confidence of Chinese tourists.

Source:?Overseas Network (Beijing)