Southeast Asia’s second largest economy seeks 3.5 million Chinese tourists by year-end

By Hoang Vu August 20, 2024 | 11:02 pm PT

Tourists visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, on Jan. 7, 2023. Photo by Reuters

Thailand has launched a series of tourism promotion activities in hopes of attracting 3.5 million Chinese arrivals in the last four months of this year to fulfill this year’s target.

Southeast Asia’s second largest economy targets 8 million Chinese visitors this year and has already received 4.55 million so far, thanks in part to a mutual visa-free policy, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said Thai tourism officials would cooperate with more than 100 key opinion leaders in China to boost Thailand’s tourism image and introduce must-do activities via online platforms such Little Red Book, Weibo, Douyin and BiliBili, Nation Thailand reported.

In addition, TAT and China’s most popular travel platforms will offer promotions ranging from special deals to discount vouchers and souvenirs from September to December to encourage Chinese tourists to book travel to Thailand.

Thailand has welcomed 21.7 million foreign visitors so far this year, with Chinese and Malaysian tourists leading the way.

In 2019 before the pandemic hit, Thailand, whose economy heavily relies on tourism, welcomed a record 39.9 million foreign visitors, generating 1.91 trillion baht (US$51.9 billion) in revenue.