Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will deliver her personal assurances to Chinese President Xi Jinping about safety for Chinese tourists when she visits the country next month, says Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong.
Thailand has set a target to attract 9 million Chinese tourists this year, which would be a 35% increase from the 6.7 million who entered the country last year.
Mr Sorawong said on Tuesday that the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) had stepped up its efforts to build confidence among tourists. Communication about tourist safety and positive news from Thailand have not yet reached all Chinese tourists as there are many different social media platforms that need to be covered, he said.
Mr Sorawong himself has held talks with the Chinese ambassador to help communicate with Chinese nationals, saying the ambassador promised to help.
The minister made his remarks in response to the massive public attention surrounding the case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who went missing early this month near the Thai Myanmar border. The 31-year-old actor was safely returned to Thailand, but authorities believed he may have been the victim of human trafficking.
Mr Sorawong said the prime minister would make an official visit to China next month and would use the opportunity to discuss tourist safety with the Chinese president.
“I want to emphasise that the number of Chinese arrivals has not declined, but increased,” he said.
The number of Chinese arrivals up to Jan 20 this year has averaged 22,000 a day, compared with the normal average of around 17,000, he said.
“As for the impact, room cancellations were mostly from first-time (Chinese) tourists in tour groups and those who were worried about their safety,” he said. “There were no impacts among tourists who were free independent travellers.”
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Tuesday asked the cabinet to concentrate on tightening security along border areas to prevent the operations of transnational criminal gangs.
China has also reached out to Asean to propose more coordinated regional actions to crack down on scam gangs and free their victims.
Mr Phumtham, who is also defence minister, expressed confidence that the government would restore confidence among Chinese tourists who would come back to Thailand again.