24-11-2023 (BANGKOK) The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced on Friday (Nov 24) that it anticipates welcoming 3.4 to 3.5 million visitors from China this year, falling short of its target. Despite the implementation of a visa-free program aimed at attracting Chinese tourists, only 3.01 million Chinese visitors have arrived in the country thus far in 2023.
China has traditionally been a crucial source market for Thailand’s tourism industry, contributing significantly to the sector. In the pre-pandemic year of 2019, Thailand received 11 million Chinese visitors, constituting more than a quarter of the total arrivals for that year.
Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT’s deputy governor for international marketing in Asia and the South Pacific, noted concerns about China’s slowing economy, impacting tourism spending. Additionally, he highlighted that the recent mall shooting in Bangkok has adversely affected tourist confidence.
In June, TAT had initially projected approximately 4-4.4 million Chinese tourists for the year, revising down from the government’s original target of 5 million. Overall foreign tourist arrivals since the beginning of the year stand at approximately 23.88 million, according to Chattan.
Despite the challenges, the government aims to reach 28 million tourist arrivals, compared to the pre-pandemic record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists in 2019, who collectively spent 1.91 trillion baht (US$54.37 billion).
