War in Israel and reduced confidence after last week’s Bangkok mall shooting are expected to cause foreign arrivals to drop next week.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry reported foreign arrivals last week (Oct 2-8) fell to 497,966, down 9.86% from the previous week, as Chinese visitors dipped significantly.

Many of them headed back home early to avoid crowded flights at the end of the Golden Week holiday, while some were concerned about safety after the shooting at Siam Paragon on Oct 3.

Fresh concerns about fighting between Israel and Hamas militants could affect the flow of inbound tourists, particularly from the Middle East, resulting in a decline among arrivals to 480,000 next week, according to the ministry.

Phunut Thanalaopanich of the Thai Hotels Association said the Chinese market in Chiang Mai has not been robust this year.

Most Chinese tourists to Chiang Mai are families and did not cancel their bookings following the Bangkok shooting as they felt it was a single event that happened miles away, he said.

Mr Phunut said the average occupancy of hotels in Chiang Mai in October was 55%, a drop year-on-year.

He said the government should ramp up security measures to prevent illegal businesses from exploiting the visa exemption because if reports about illegal firms and crimes targeting tourists circulate on Chinese social media, it would result in a slow recovery.