Chinese tourists give Thailand a miss amid fears of scams, kidnappings, crimes

Pattaya, for long a hotspot for Chinese tour groups, has seen daily Chinese arrivals drop to around 5,000 from the pre-Covid average of 15,000-20,000, Bangkok Post reported.

Chiang Mai has been hit even harder.

According to Pattaya Mail, Chinese tourist arrivals in Chiang Mai have dropped by over 90% in recent months.

In the first five months of this year Thailand received only 1.95 million Chinese visitors, a 32.7% decrease from the same period in 2024.

"It’s like watching an empire vanish," Worapoj Chatkanchana, an executive at travel agency Chiang Mai Sky Travel said, as cited by Pattaya Mail.

He said his company, which previously served 6,000–7,000 Chinese tourists a day, now gets fewer than 100.

It has forced him to completely overhaul his business model, he said.

He pointed to the widespread social media posts in China about warning of scams, kidnappings and organized crime in Thailand as key reasons behind the hesitancy.

"Travel agents in China are just skipping Thailand. They’re booking Japan, Vietnam and South Korea instead."

The Bank of Thailand expects Chinese arrivals to fall to five million this year, 25% less than in 2024.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has acknowledged the problems, and is actively shifting its focus to other markets like India and Russia, among the five largest sources of visitors in the first five months, and offering hopes for a partial recovery.