Thailand is seeking solutions as the number of Chinese tourist arrivals to the country has fallen sharply this year.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the number of Chinese visitors was down about 35 percent compared to the same period last year, with 3.3 million arrivals between January 1 and September 22.
This slowdown is explained by several factors, including:
- Security concerns
- The growth of domestic tourism in China
- Increased competition from regional destinations such as Japan, Vietnam and Malaysia
- The global economic slowdown
- Decline in group tours from China
After hitting a low earlier this year, daily arrivals from China have begun to show signs of stabilizing.
China's Golden Week holiday , from October 1 to 8, arrivals are expected to average 13,000 per day, up from 8,000 to 9,500 previously.
The TAT predicts that between September 26 and October 8, around 180,000 Chinese tourists will visit Thailand, possibly reaching more than 200,000.
However, this represents a 24% drop compared to the same period in 2024, when 262,001 Chinese arrivals were recorded.
The decline in the number of arrivals also has an impact on tourism revenue.
Spending by Chinese visitors during this year's Golden Week will reach 9 billion baht, down 17 percent from 10.9 billion the previous year.
On average, Chinese tourists spend 6,600 baht (175.44 euros) per person per day and stay six to eight nights per trip.
The Bangkok Post recently spoke with academics and tourism operators about strategies to rebuild confidence and attract more Chinese travelers.
Safety as a top priority
The kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand by call center gangs in Myanmar has caused a stir on Chinese social media.
Aksornsri Phanishsarn, an economics professor at Thammasat University, said Thailand needed to address Chinese concerns about scams and crime.
“Fears of scam centers and the kidnapping of a Chinese actor earlier this year have deterred visitors.
See: Thailand: Cancellations or fear-inducing trips for Chinese tourists
“Without enhanced security measures, promotions will have little effect,” she said.
She urged Thailand to follow Japan's example by positioning itself as a high-end destination that prioritizes safety, quality and efficiency of transport, while remaining competitive in terms of price.
She added that the weak Japanese yen makes it an attractive destination, even though visa rules are stricter and the cost of living higher than in Thailand or Vietnam.
Ms. Aksornsri also warned against direct competition with Vietnam, which focuses on group tours with lower purchasing power.
Instead, she said, Thailand should aim to offer a high-end, yet affordable experience, with standards comparable to those in Japan at a lower cost.
See: Baht too strong: Thailand loses ground to Vietnam
Strengthening ties with Beijing
Chinese and Thai flags.
Surawat Akaraworamat, an adviser to the parliamentary committee on tourism, said the decline in Chinese visitors was not solely related to security.
He added that strengthening ties with Beijing was essential to reverse the decline in Chinese tourism, noting that Chinese authorities were not actively promoting Thailand.
While Chinese outbound travel is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, only a few million are visiting Thailand, far below the 11 million recorded before the pandemic.
Visa-free entries may include business travelers, inflating arrival numbers without increasing tourism revenue.
Mr. Surawat urged Tourism and Sports Minister Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn to strengthen diplomatic and trade relations with Beijing and avoid controversial issues such as casinos , cannabis or zero-dollar travel .
He recommended recalibrating Thailand's promotional strategy over the next four months.
Mr. Surawat proposed moving away from general "soft power" campaigns to focus on the "5Fs" (fashion, gastronomy, fighting, festivals and cinema), which offer better opportunities.
"The sector is facing heavier burdens today than during the pandemic," he said.
“At the time, the business was largely shut down, so the costs were minimal.
Today everything is working again, but the number of tourists has not recovered,” he said.
Reinventing Pattaya
Chinese tourists in Pattaya. Photo: South China Morning Post
Bhunanan Patanasin, former president of the Pattaya-Chon Buri Business and Tourism Association, said Chinese visitors remained Pattaya , even though group tours had declined.
Independent travellers (FITs) are becoming increasingly important, he said.
The city is creating new attractions such as themed hotels, water parks, media art museums, and Chinese-style entertainment to cater to smaller, higher-spending groups.
For the peak season, bookings are expected to reach 70% of occupancy, mainly from Europe, while Chinese arrivals are down around 20%.
Mr. Bhunanan said he would like the government to help make travel in Thailand more affordable for tourists and improve the transportation system to better accommodate independent travelers.
After arriving in Pattaya by tour bus, the only options available to tourists are songthaew (shared taxis) and on-demand transportation services via online apps, he said.
He also urged the government to organize large-scale international festivals, such as the electronic music festival "Tomorrowland," to attract visitors from around the world.
See also: Thailand: Panic in Pattaya: Chinese tourists prefer Japan
In July, the cabinet led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra gave the Ministry of Tourism and Sports the green light to organize Tomorrowland in Thailand, with the festival to be held at Wisdom Valley in Pattaya, as proposed by the ministry.
Diplomacy and cooperation
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on September 23, 2025. Photo: PRD
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul attended a reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Thailand on Tuesday, September 23, to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
He also delivered a keynote address.
In his speech, Mr. Anutin reaffirmed the government's commitment to advancing China-Thailand relations, a message that was warmly welcomed by participants.
He highlighted the long-standing closeness between the two nations, saying that "China and Thailand are not strangers, but family," while inviting Chinese companies to invest in Thailand and encouraging more Chinese tourists to visit the country.
Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianwei highlighted the friendship between the two countries, describing them as "friendly neighbors and important partners."
He said cooperation in key sectors such as agriculture and tourism had fostered goodwill and laid a solid foundation for strengthening bilateral relations.
Mr. Zhang expressed China's willingness to deepen coordination with Thailand to expand future cooperation.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, celebrated as the "golden jubilee of China-Thai friendship."
Under the strategic guidance of their leaders, the strategic cooperation partnership has developed well.
Conclusion
If Thailand can reassure people about security, strengthen its diplomatic ties with Beijing and diversify its offerings beyond group tours, it could regain some of its appeal among Chinese travelers.
But without a clear and coherent strategy, the kingdom risks seeing its main source market permanently move away, to the benefit of more aggressive neighbors like Japan or Vietnam.
- -35% of Chinese tourists in 2025.
- Golden Week: 200,000 visitors expected.
- Regional security and competition at stake.
See also:
Tourist Kidnappings in Thailand: Immigration Accused, She Denies
Thailand: Tourism collapses as Chinese visitors drop
Thailand: New kidnapping of Chinese by Burmese call centers
Popular Phuket Island Resists Decline in Chinese Tourism
Chinese tourism plummets: Thailand launches recovery plan
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2 comments
Faced with this edifying observation and these statistics which continue to persist against a return to normal of the number of Chinese tourists in Thailand, it is not the initiatives described in the article, nor Anutin's speech and the praise of the Chinese representatives on the longevity of the Thailand-China friendship, with many smiles and bows of circumstance which will change the situation...
Chinese tourists, in order to re-choose Thailand as their number 1 tourist destination, are primarily asking for optimized security at all levels and a competitive cost of stay compared to other Asian destinations currently preferred to Thailand for the same reasons...
So I went there on my own reflection and my own initiative, and although I doubt that my proposals will reach (and internally, I do not hope so!) the competent political and economic decision-makers (?), who completely and definitively "don't give a damn," I launch into my "union" demands in a country where unions are generally absent, or relegated to the status of "defense associations," gagged in the dungeons of power...
Well, let's get started, and with a view to meeting the Chinese tourism demands, I propose (unnecessarily) to the Thai authorities these few proposals for fundamental and priority initiatives to turn the tide, but which, I am convinced, will not even manage to touch the cerebral cortex of those responsible for the Thai tourism sector, like a comet (in this case the opinion of a "farang cracked by the coffee maker") passing a few hundred thousand kilometers from the earth...
1. Bring the baht back (and keep it there against the fluctuating global winds and tides) to a competitive exchange rate with the currencies of neighboring countries, direct tourist competitors, i.e. 34 to 35 THB / 1 dollar or 39 to 40 THB / 1 euro, which will almost instantly reduce the total cost of a 2 to 3 week Thai vacation by about 12 to 15% or in other words, increase purchasing power, and therefore tourist spending, benefiting the standard of living of a large number of small traders and more generally, all sectors concerned with the health of national and international tourism.
2. Hunt down corruption and scams at all levels: administrations, police, travel agencies, illegal tourist guides, those without work permits, taxis, tuk-tuks and other public or private transport, touts linked to illegal commercial practices targeting naive and vulnerable foreign tourists, act at the international level against computer call centers installed in Burma and Cambodia (will the latest initiative dating back a few days be effective in the near future?).
3. In order to effectively implement point 2, restructure the entire organizational chart and methodology for recruiting police officers and appoint former Colonel Surachate Hakparn (nicknamed "Mr. Anti-Corruption" by the population) as head of the Thai National Police with full powers and guaranteed immunity.
Fire police officers found guilty of corruption at any level, after investigation and judgment by a special brigade comparable to the IGPN in France (police of the police)... (note: this unit exists on paper in Thailand!!!.... yes, yes!).
Completely review the duties and priority missions of the Thai police, get the police out of their offices, prioritize interventions and a daily and permanent presence on the ground for urban security operations and the fight against insecurity in the agglomerations and main cities and tourist spots of the country, day and night, by intensifying the presence and preventive actions in the high places of nightlife, in short, show the population and tourists that the police are where they should be, on the very scene of potential latent crime, as a deterrent force BEFORE the problems erupt, crime which currently has (almost) free rein to act and disappear before the police forces arrive at the scene of a tragedy, that is to say, too late...
These 3 points alone (and we could add many other annexes, more oriented towards structural improvements in reception and economic stakeholders in all sectors related to international tourism) could, in my opinion, fundamentally and long-term change the face of Thailand in the eyes of Chinese and other tourists and, in the long term, change the current unfavorable mentality on many points...
This will obviously not solve everything, but it would be a good start to combat and eradicate the pervasive corruption that sabotages the work of those who fight against it and disables them...
I know, I'm swimming in the middle of a reactionary utopia!!!
Bah! A rant from an old, incorrigible "sixty-eighter" man, always with his fist raised!!!
Let the state act on the value of the baht!!!
We must weaken it!!!
1€ 50 THB because prices cannot be lowered today.