Tourism operators in China say safety remains the major concern for Thailand tour packages, predicting trips here might reach the pre-pandemic level by 2025.
Whenever negative events happen in Thailand, such as the Siam Paragon shooting or the recent shooting in Pathum Thani stadium, bookings immediately drop as the news spreads like wildfire on Chinese social media, said Yu Ping, Southeast Asia manager and product manager for Asia-Pacific at Shanghai Wan Guo International Travel Service, a wholesale tour operator.
Ms Yu said the sluggish Chinese economy also disrupted tour package sales targeting the middle class, unlike tailor-made tours serving upscale travellers that have a consistent sales rate.
Many tour operators, especially those who offer traditional packages, shifted their service to domestic groups as this trend is more popular than travelling abroad, she said.
Speaking at the Association of Thai Travel Agents' roadshow in Shanghai and Chengdu, Ms Yu said the company's tour packages to Thailand are half of the level recorded in 2019. The number is constantly improving, though it might take until 2025 to return to normal, she said.
The Thai government needs to quickly address safety concerns, while extending the visa-free scheme for Chinese for all of 2024 to draw more tourists, said Ms Yu.
Jia Jianjun, general manager at Hubei in Journey International Travel Service, said while the weak Chinese economy could affect tourist spending through next year, the most critical challenge remains the perception of Thailand as an unsafe destination.
If there is no severe negative news such as the Siam Paragon shooting next year, Thailand will remain a top overseas destination for Chinese tourists, as some domestic packages in China are more expensive than visiting the kingdom, said Mr Jia.
He said the company forecasts a full recovery of Thailand package sales next year, ahead of the projection of 2025 for a full recovery that some agents expect.
Jia: Recovery by next year
To diversify risks, the company has been serving clients in Hubei, a secondary city in China, while planning to expand to Shanghai or Beijing, offering both online and offline bookings with tailor-made packages, said Mr Jia.
Regarding Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's push for tourism in secondary areas, he said these destinations can draw young Chinese travellers seeking unique experiences.
However, those packages might be suitable for only small, tailor-made programmes, rather than standard tour itineraries that rely on a large volume to gain profit, said Mr Jia.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to host Chinese New Year festivals across five regions in Thailand next year, aiming to drive more visitors from the mainland to second-tier cities.
Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, managing director of Quality Express, said Thai government and provincial administration should offer incentives to Chinese tour operators for them to allocate charter flights or direct tour groups to untapped destinations, similar to incentives Japan offered for foreign tour groups to visit secondary provinces.
The incentives can differ based on each market. For instance, second-tier cities might need more attractive incentives to build up recognition in the initial stage, said Mr Thanapol.
