Thailand welcomes 1 million visitors from China since January – The Diplomat

Bit ASEAN | Economy | Southeast Asia

Three months after Beijing lifted its strict “zero COVID” policy, Bangkok says it is on track to meet its 2023 goal of 5 million tourists from China.

Thailand has 1 million visitors from China since January

Chinese tourists ride elephants at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya, Thailand on March 1, 2017.

Credit: Depositphotos

Thailand has just welcomed its one millionth visitor from China since the start of the year, marking another step towards the recovery of the country’s key tourism sector.

In a statement yesterday, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaysri said that 1 million Chinese arrived in the country between January and May 18, according to the Bangkok Post. informed. He added that the government hopes to reach its goal of attracting 5 million Chinese tourists in 2023, which could generate 446 billion baht ($13.18 billion) in revenue.

“This success is due to the hard work of all the agencies involved in the country’s efforts to restore the confidence of foreign tourists and our status as one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world,” Anucha said, according to the Post.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a near-death blow to Thailand’s tourism sector. While the country managed to contain the first surge of COVID-19 with relative success, the shutdowns and collapse of international travel have devastated the country’s tourism industry. International tourist arrivals have fallen from a record 40 million in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, to 6.7 million in 2020 and then to a measly 428,000 in 2021.

Given the importance of tourism to Thailand’s economy – the sector provides roughly 20 percent of the country’s GDP and provides the livelihood for hundreds of thousands of people – announcements of tourism numbers are eagerly anticipated and scrutinized.

Do you like this article? Click here to sign up for full access. Only $5 per month.

This latest announcement suggests that the recovery of Thailand’s tourism industry since last July full international opening is now within sight of pre-pandemic levels. The 1 million Chinese visitors were among the 9.47 million foreign tourists who arrived in Thailand between January and mid-May. In 2023 the government expecting 25 million international visitors compared to a record 40 million who visited the country in 2019, the last full year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 11.15 million foreign visitors were registered in 2022, exceeding government target out of 10 million three leading countries Origins were Malaysia, India and Singapore.

The tourism sector, which accounts for about a fifth of Thailand’s GDP, contributed to faster-than-expected growth 2.7 percenttons in the first quarter of 2023.

However, the recovery in the number of Chinese tourists is far behind the recovery of the Thai tourism sector as a whole. This is largely due to Beijing’s harsh “zero COVID” policy, which until January made outbound international travel difficult and costly both in terms of time and money. Just last year 274,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand, reports Reuters. In 2019, they accounted for 11 million, or about 28 percent, of total international tourist arrivals. Even taking into account the recovery this year, they have so far accounted for only about 10.5% of arrivals.

Not content with resting on its laurels, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched the “Trust Thailand” campaign to rekindle the Chinese people’s love for the country. As part of the Bangkok Post campaign reported yesterday“60 Chinese public figures, members of the press, airlines and related companies will be invited to visit the kingdom to further promote Thailand as a top destination.”

While it remains unclear whether and when Thailand’s tourism sector will exceed the zenith of 2019, Chinese tourist arrivals are likely to continue to increase significantly through the end of the year.