China's economic slowdown, plunging stock market and weaker currency will not deter Chinese tourists from visiting Thailand this year, according to the Economic Intelligence Centre.
The EIC said the problems at home will not discourage tourists from China because of their high purchasing power and the affordable prices in Thailand.
"The purchasing power of Chinese tourists remains high due to income per capita in China growing for many years and low household-debt to GDP, which has led to a vast increase in the middle-income class," it said in a report released on Thursday.
The low cost of travelling in Thailand also meant it remained attractive to Chinese visitors, the research arm of Siam Commercial Bank added.
China's gross domestic product growth slid to under 7% for the first time since 1982, coming in at 6.9% last year. Capital flight due to worries about the domestic economy have dampened its stock markets, while the yuan has dropped 2.7% against the US dollar since November last year. The Shanghai index lost at least 17% this year, according to Bloomberg.
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The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted the number of Chinese visitors will rise to 10 million this year, from 7.9 million last year. They were the largest group of foreign tourists last year.
Thailand is already a favourite stop for China in the MasterCard Asia Pacific Destinations Index.
Yet, the country is not alone in Southeast Asia in trying to lure more Chinese travellers to their country.
Indonesia has given the Chinese visa-free entry as part of the campaign to double the number of visitors from China to 2 million next year, from 1 million in 2014.
Cambodia is the latest competitor to target more visitors from China.
The Cambodian Tourism Ministry has released a white paper mapping out a strategy to draw more tourists from China, anticipating the number will swell to 2 million a year from only 560,000 in 2014, the Phnom Penh Post reported on Wednesday.
The plan includes better facilities, easier visa processing, more direct flights and even attempts to promote the use of the Chinese currency in Cambodia.
“Marketing Cambodia as a tourist destination in the Chinese market is still limited and tourist facilities are not meeting the expectations of Chinese tourists,” Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon was quoted as saying.