TAT anticipates Chinese tourist arrivals to reach 1 million per month in October

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) anticipates that Chinese tourists could reach one million arrivals per month by October, similar to figures from 2019. An increase in flight capacity during the high season and resolving e-visa issues are factors expected to contribute to this growth.

Chuwit Sirivejkul, TAT’s Regional Director of Marketing for East Asia, expressed confidence that Chinese tourist arrivals are set for an increase, surpassing five million visitors in 2021 and generating 446 billion baht. Flight slots between Thailand and China offer six million available seats from April to October – equating to an average of 600,000 to 900,000 seats per month. October is projected to have 840,260 available seats.

Approximately 10,000 Chinese tourists are visiting Thailand daily, with the number rising to 18,000 to 20,000 during the Labour Day holiday in early May. To facilitate the growing demand, Airports of Thailand intends to expand ground handling services for Thai Airways International and Bangkok Flight Services, the two existing providers.

Chuwit anticipates a substantial number of Chinese tourists in the latter half of the year, particularly during June to August when family trips are common due to school holidays. Business groups are also expected to visit in September, while China’s National Day, a seven-day holiday in October, will likely trigger increased travel demand and more chartered flights.

Chuwit noted that discussions with the Foreign Affairs Ministry regarding limited visa application capacity for Chinese tour groups are scheduled for next week. The e-visa application system for these groups can currently process 84,000 applications per month.

Despite negative comments regarding safety in Thailand circulating on Chinese social media recently, Chuwit believes any short-term impact on secondary Thai tourist cities would not affect overall growth this year. To boost confidence in Thailand’s tourism safety, the TAT intends to invite Chinese influencers to the country towards the end of May, with a press conference co-hosted by the Royal Thai Police.

While growth appears promising, Chuwit acknowledged challenges include a shortage of Chinese-speaking staff and financial tech development to cater to Chinese spending habits. In the first four months of 2021, among the 8.5 million foreign tourists recorded, Chinese visitors numbered 843,920.

To target Chinese millennials, the TAT launched an advertising campaign coined “Unboxing Thailand”, which has received two million views since April, reports Bangkok Post.