Unaffected by several major negative news, the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand has increased significantly!

On July 23, preliminary assessment results from Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed that due to factors such as the summer holidays, the number of tourists from short-haul markets like China and South Korea increased in the past week (July 15-21), with inbound tourist arrivals growing by 1.02%. Concurrently, there was also a 0.71% increase in long-haul tourists from regions like the Netherlands.

During the past week, the total number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand amounted to 709,267, marking a 0.94% increase of 6,597 individuals from the previous week. The top five countries of origin for foreign tourists were China (162,798), Malaysia (90,966), India (37,758), South Korea (35,255), and Laos (28,482). Among them, tourist arrivals from South Korea, India, China, and Laos grew by 11.03%, 6.81%, 4.55%, and 0.45% respectively compared to the previous week, while those from Malaysia decreased by 7.82%.

Despite several adverse news stories emerging in Thailand last week that were detrimental to its tourism image, such as the murder of a Chinese woman by a compatriot in Thailand, a Chinese man being robbed in his Pattaya residence by fellow Chinese, and the discovery of six bodies in a hotel in downtown Bangkok, these negative incidents garnered widespread attention on Chinese social media and impacted Thailand's tourism image to some extent. However, they did not significantly affect the number of Chinese tourists entering the country. Data shows that from July 8 to 14, the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand was 155,717, while this week's figure rose to 162,798.

The growth trend in Chinese tourists over the past week can be attributed to two main factors. Firstly, it coincides with China's summer vacation period, and the visa-free policy between China and Thailand facilitates tourist entries, attracting a substantial number of Chinese visitors to Thailand. Secondly, many internet users have demonstrated a more rational attitude towards negative news, refraining from dismissing Thailand's tourism environment based on individual incidents.

It is anticipated that the number of foreign tourists to Thailand will continue to grow next week. Since July 15, the Thai government has extended the visa-free stay period for tourists from six major regions, including China, to 60 days and expanded the visa-free policy to cover 93 countries and regions. This policy is expected to further invigorate Thailand's tourism market.

From January 1 to July 21, Thailand has received a cumulative total of 19,618,476 tourists, with foreign tourists spending approximately 925.1 billion Thai Baht in the country. The top five countries of origin for tourists to Thailand are China (3,906,735), Malaysia (2,744,253), India (1,149,039), South Korea (1,032,169), and Russia (977,215).