ATTA pushes for PM support to restore Chinese tourism to Thailand

ATTA president Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn stated that this year, the number of Chinese tourists entering Thailand through Chinese agents has dropped significantly. He explained that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the association facilitated the arrival of around 4–5 million Chinese tourists annually. In 2024, that number declined to approximately 3 million.

However, he noted that between January and April 2025, tourist numbers fell by 56% compared to the same period in 2024. He added that data from the private sector—including retailers, transport companies, and currency exchange outlets—indicated a 15% drop in foreign currency exchange volumes in March.

“Operators in the hotel and restaurant sectors, along with insights from online and mainstream media, all point in the same direction. This is a deeply concerning situation,” he said.

Adith Chairattananon, ATTA's secretary-general, said that the primary factor behind the slowdown in foreign tourist arrivals—particularly from China—is concerns over safety.

Citing data from airline partners, he reported that currently there are about 136 flights per day operating from 31 Chinese cities to Thailand. However, if the downward trend continues, up to 68% of these flights could be cancelled in the second half this year.

“If the government fails to urgently restore the tourism sector and allows negative perceptions to persist between Thailand and China, the future of Thai tourism will undoubtedly suffer,” he warned.

Adith called on the government to expedite the Sawassdee Nihao project, which aims to rebuild confidence in Thailand’s safety and image among Chinese tourists and operators via Chinese media.

As part of the project, 300 Chinese tourism operators and 100 media representatives would be invited to Thailand to meet Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and explore tourism routes across the country to experience safety standards. The estimated budget for the initiative is 20 million baht.

He also urged the government to allocate funding to support charter flights targeting first-time visitors from secondary Chinese cities, in a bid to reignite interest in Thai tourism between June and August. He noted that such visitors typically possess greater purchasing power and tend to spend more than repeat travellers.

These two initiatives are expected to generate revenues of no less than 8.3 billion baht, he said. He emphasised that the proposed investment poses no risk to the government, as it would follow a public-private partnership model—80% funded by the private sector and 20% by the government—with support provided conditionally on a per-flight basis.