Southeast Asia's second largest economy witnesses 34% drop in Chinese tourists

By Hoang Phong July 9, 2025 | 12:09 am PT

Chinese tourists take pictures in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, March 31, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, has seen the number of Chinese tourists plummenting by 34% in the first half of this year.

The country received 16.6 million foreign tourist arrivals, marking a 4.66% decrease year-on-year.

Once the largest source of visitors to Thailand, China was pushed to the second position with 2.26 million after Malaysia (2.29 million).

Safety concerns have affected Chinese tourists' travel plan following the high-profile kidnapping of Chinese actor Xing Xing in Thailand in January.

Sisdivachr Cheewaratanaporn, Honorary President and Senior Advisor of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, estimated that Chinese tourist arrivals for the entire year will likely reach only 5 million, Nation Thailand reported.

Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Association of Chonburi Tourism Federation, said the outlook in the third quarter would remain unchanged as the Chinese market might not significantly improve, Bangkok Post reported.