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Chinese Cancel New Year Trips to Thailand Amid Safety Fears

Hotels and airlines are experiencing a significant number of cancellations from Chinese tour groups for the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, with new bookings from independent travelers also declining due to safety concerns in Thailand.

Recently, Hong Kong singer and actor Eason Chan canceled his scheduled concert in Thailand, attributing the decision to safety worries for Chinese visitors.

Additionally, a security team from Hong Kong’s Security Bureau traveled to Thailand this week to investigate incidents of their citizens being lured into job scams in Southeast Asia.

Natthriya Thaweevong, the permanent secretary for tourism and sports, assured that there have been no cases of Hong Kong tourists being deceived or abducted in Thailand.

The incidents involved citizens who were recruited for transporting goods to South Asia but were tricked into traveling to Myanmar through Thailand.

Furthermore, the Hong Kong authorities have advised their citizens to remain vigilant and cautious about offers of high-paying jobs.

Natthriya Thaweevong stated that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has reassured Hong Kong about the enhanced safety and security measures for tourists in Thailand, including round-the-clock assistance from the Tourist Police.

Prachoom Tantiprasertsuk, marketing chairperson at the Thai Hotels Association, noted that hotels popular with Chinese tour groups, especially in Bangkok, are seeing a rise in cancellations.

The effect on tour groups is noticeable since travel companies can still cancel hotel and air travel bookings, unlike bookings made by independent travelers, which are typically non-refundable.

Ms. Prachoom mentioned that the association is closely monitoring the hotel situation across the country and expects to have a clearer understanding of the impact by Wednesday, following the weekend.

Hotel operators are urging the government to quickly rebuild trust in the safety of the area to avoid a potential short-term decline in tourism.

Before the incident involving Chinese actor Wang Xing, Thailand’s hotels enjoyed strong reservations during the Chinese New Year holiday, with each region reporting higher numbers than the previous year, according to Ms. Prachoom.

Hotels in Bangkok had a 70-80% occupancy rate, while tourist hotspots like Phuket saw rates between 80-90%.

Nuntaporn Komonsittivate from Thai Lion Air reported a substantial number of cancellations from Chinese tour groups.

Some tour operators who had organized charter flights to Phuket for the Lunar New Year have canceled their events due to low interest, although individual travelers remain unaffected due to their more flexible plans.

Nuntaporn noted that the airline would need to wait until the end of the week to fully assess the impact, as the visa-free policy with China allows travelers to make decisions close to the holiday, which this year is in the last week of January.

A representative from Thai AirAsia observed a continued slowdown in new bookings from Chinese customers this week, indicating growing concerns about visiting Thailand.