(Bangkok, 26th) The Thai Travel Agents Association pointed out that due to a recent incident in Sa Kaeo Province where police officers extorted Chinese citizens, Chinese tourists’ confidence in traveling to Thailand has once again declined, and bookings for the coming months have decreased as a result.
On May 17, six police officers were accused of conspiring with another local person to kidnap and extort five Chinese nationals. Subsequent investigations found that another three men, from Thailand, Cambodia, and China respectively, were also involved in the case, suspected of assisting illegal border crossings and other crimes. Authorities are now investigating whether this case is related to transnational criminal gangs.
According to the Bangkok Post, the honorary secretary of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Adis, said that this incident has quickly gained momentum on Chinese social media over the past week. Since officials were involved, it sparked negative emotions among the Chinese public, as they generally have a high level of trust in government officials.
After the incident, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok posted on Facebook, requesting the Thai authorities to conduct an “appropriate, fair and transparent investigation, to find out the truth as soon as possible, and to bring those responsible to justice.”
Adis said that the Chinese Embassy’s statement further highlights the seriousness of the case; local travel agencies have already begun to feel the impact, as they are continuously receiving requests to cancel bookings, and new bookings from the Chinese market are slowing down.
However, he believes that since the incident happened less than a week ago, it is still too early to assess the long-term impact on Chinese tourist arrivals this year.
He still remains optimistic about the Chinese market, targeting to attract 7 million Chinese tourists this year. The average daily number of Chinese tourist arrivals this month is about 20,000, which is an acceptable level.
Chonburi Tourism Association Chairman Thanet believes that if this incident continues to be discussed on Chinese social media, the impact on tourism may further expand. However, one of Thailand’s top tourist destinations, Pattaya, has yet to see any obvious impact.
He said that based on last year’s figure of 4.47 million Chinese tourists, if the drop this year does not exceed 20% to 30%, it would already be considered “very lucky.”
According to the Bangkok Post, the honorary secretary of the Thai Travel Agents Association, Adis, said that this incident has quickly gained momentum on Chinese social media over the past week. Since officials were involved, it sparked negative emotions among the Chinese public, as they generally have a high level of trust in government officials.
After the incident, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok posted on Facebook, requesting the Thai authorities to conduct an “appropriate, fair and transparent investigation, to find out the truth as soon as possible, and to bring those responsible to justice.”
Adis said that the Chinese Embassy’s statement further highlights the seriousness of the case; local travel agencies have already begun to feel the impact, as they are continuously receiving requests to cancel bookings, and new bookings from the Chinese market are slowing down.
However, he believes that since the incident happened less than a week ago, it is still too early to assess the long-term impact on Chinese tourist arrivals this year.
He still remains optimistic about the Chinese market, targeting to attract 7 million Chinese tourists this year. The average daily number of Chinese tourist arrivals this month is about 20,000, which is an acceptable level.
Chonburi Tourism Association Chairman Thanet believes that if this incident continues to be discussed on Chinese social media, the impact on tourism may further expand. However, one of Thailand’s top tourist destinations, Pattaya, has yet to see any obvious impact.
He said that based on last year’s figure of 4.47 million Chinese tourists, if the drop this year does not exceed 20% to 30%, it would already be considered “very lucky.”