Thai travellers offered 50% off flights to China for Songkran
Chinese travel agents are pulling out all the stops to fill planes over the Songkran holiday, offering Thai tourists cut-price tickets to the mainland in a desperate bid to claw back losses after a dramatic drop in Chinese visitors to Thailand.
Some tour operators are slashing fares by up to 50%, flogging unsold flight tickets at bargain rates rather than leaving them unused. It comes as travel agents scramble to recover from a tough start to the year, made worse by an earthquake in late March and safety concerns that spooked would-be Chinese tourists.
“Thais now see China as a safe destination with great transport links,” said Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, an advisor to the Thai Travel Agents Association and managing director of Quality Express. “It’s become a top choice for outbound travel, especially over Songkran.”
Travel agencies had initially snapped up large blocks of seats on China-bound flights, banking on a tourism boom following the visa-free deal between the two countries. But that boom never came.
Many Chinese travellers are still wary after a shocking scandal earlier this year, where a Chinese actor was reportedly abducted from Thailand and taken to a scam centre in Myanmar. The incident caused widespread outrage in China and triggered a wave of cancellations.
As Chinese tourists stay away, Thai holidaymakers are stepping in to snap up the cheap tickets. While agents are swallowing losses of 3,000 to 5,000 baht per seat, they say it’s better than the alternative, letting the seats go to waste, which would cost them up to 10,000 baht per ticket.
Now, with Songkran approaching, China is tipped to overtake Japan as the most popular overseas destination for Thai travellers. Tour packages to China start at just 15,000 baht, half the cost of a typical Japan trip.
“The number of Thais visiting China this year could easily surpass a million,” said Thanapol. “Japan attracted over a million Thai tourists last year but with these prices, China might just steal the spotlight.”
South Korea, meanwhile, is falling out of favour. Tighter immigration rules and the hassle of applying for a Korea Electronic Travel Authorisation have put off many Thai tourists, who are now looking elsewhere for their spring getaways, Bangkok Post reported.
Latest Thailand News
