Thai tourism hit as gun violence prompts Chinese visitor cancellations

[webfact]

 

The Thai government has been urged to tighten gun control measures by Chiang Mai hoteliers and tourism entrepreneurs in the aftermath of the Siam Paragon shopping mall shooting on October 3.

 

The incident, which resulted in the death of three people, including a Chinese tourist, and injured four others, has shaken the confidence of Chinese travellers in Thailand. The fallout from the incident has seen approximately 60,000 Chinese tourists cancel their trips to the country.

 

Airports of Thailand’s data indicates a drop in the number of Chinese visitors from 650,000 to 590,000, marking a 9.2% decrease after the shooting incident.

Before the pandemic, China was the largest overseas tourism market for Thailand, with around 11 million Chinese arrivals in 2019. However, this year’s projections are significantly lower, with tourism authorities predicting less than half of that number, or about 5 million, will visit the country.

 

Chiang Mai, a city that welcomes a considerable number of Chinese tourists, has seen five Chinese airlines, including Juneyao Airlines, Spring Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Air China, establish routes to the province.

 

by Mitch Connor

Photo by Alessio Roversi on Unsplash.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-17

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[pegman]

One of many reasons to ban guns.

[KannikaP]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

The fallout from the incident has seen approximately 60,000 Chinese tourists cancel their trips to the country.

Should we thank the young gunman then?    (Sorry, bad taste)

What does the OP photo illustrate?

Edited October 17, 2023 by KannikaP

[Goat]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

The fallout from the incident has seen approximately 60,000 Chinese tourists cancel their trips to the country.

I doubt it.

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Maybe someone should show those tourists how many people die in Thailand daily in traffic accidents compared to shootings. Then they shouldn't worry about shootings anymore. 

[Tropicalevo]

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

The incident, which resulted in the death of three people, including a Chinese tourist, and injured four others, has shaken the confidence of Chinese travellers in Thailand. The fallout from the incident has seen approximately 60,000 Chinese tourists cancel their trips to the country.

Did they cancel their trips?

Did anyone ask them why?

Or is it that the numbers have dropped by 60,000?

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

Airports of Thailand’s data indicates a drop in the number of Chinese visitors from 650,000 to 590,000, marking a 9.2% decrease after the shooting incident.

ie October is usually low season.

[2baht]

27 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

What does the OP photo illustrate?

Tuk tuks waiting for nonexistent Chinese tourists! ????

[KannikaP]

1 minute ago, 2baht said:

Tuk tuks waiting for nonexistent Chinese tourists! ????

5555

[JonnyF]

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

The fallout from the incident has seen approximately 60,000 Chinese tourists cancel their trips to the country.

Every cloud...

 

I do wonder how they arrived at these statistics though. Does the TAT check with individuals every time they cancel a booking?

[ozz1]

Oh no don't upset the Chinese what about all the other countries putting your eggs in one basket will haunt them again

 

 

 

[El Matador]

You ALWAYS have trip cancellations for whatever reason.

 

A 10% cancellation rate seems pretty standard to me.

[realfunster]

It always amuses me that for such a generally inward looking bunch, Thai officialdom are so adept at linking economic and industry performance to local and international geo-political issues.

 

Of course, in the majority of cases this is only ever used as an explanation for a failure to meet targets or expectations. When things are running to plan, the plaudits will come unfettered to those Thais involved, no chance of geo-political positives stealing any of the credit. 

 

As for October tourism ? Well, it's the wettest month of the year in many parts of Thailand, that would likely have something to do with it...

 

 

[Bim Smith]

Wait until they find out how many die on the roads. The mind boggles at what fear can do. Like closing a country for a flu that would kill your tourism industry. Who would such a thing. Oh wait. 

[Khun Loong]

Some good news at last.

[StayinThailand2much]

1 hour ago, Goat said:

I doubt it.

Yes, not likely, esp. that one shooting in Bangkok, not particularly targetting Chinese, should have a big impact in Chiang Mai.

Edited October 17, 2023 by StayinThailand2much

[AhFarangJa]

Look on the bright side, the pavements will be that little bit cleaner.

[jippytum]

Chinese tourists have a greater risk of been abducted, scammed and conned by fellow  Chinese citizens living in Thailand than they have of being shot in a shopping mall. 

[stix40]

That's a shame ????

[DGS1244]

I doubt for one minute that the shooting had anything to do with the reduced tourist numbers. more likely that China if feeling the pinch from lower income and money is not so much available.

[Dogmatix]

Of course it is nothing to do with abductions, scams, a sluggish Chinese economy and real estate sector with huge NPLs on the verge of collapse.

[Zack61]

What a load of <deleted>. This article is based entirely on presumption. Based on this logic Chinese would never venture out of their country in fear of being shot. Thailand is not the only country with gun violence and is by no means the worst.

[charleskerins]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The Thai government has been urged to tighten gun control measures by Chiang Mai hoteliers and tourism entrepreneurs in the aftermath of the Siam Paragon shopping mall shooting on October 3.

 

The incident, which resulted in the death of three people, including a Chinese tourist, and injured four others, has shaken the confidence of Chinese travellers in Thailand. The fallout from the incident has seen approximately 60,000 Chinese tourists cancel their trips to the country.

 

Airports of Thailand’s data indicates a drop in the number of Chinese visitors from 650,000 to 590,000, marking a 9.2% decrease after the shooting incident.

Before the pandemic, China was the largest overseas tourism market for Thailand, with around 11 million Chinese arrivals in 2019. However, this year’s projections are significantly lower, with tourism authorities predicting less than half of that number, or about 5 million, will visit the country.

 

Chiang Mai, a city that welcomes a considerable number of Chinese tourists, has seen five Chinese airlines, including Juneyao Airlines, Spring Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Air China, establish routes to the province.

 

by Mitch Connor

Photo by Alessio Roversi on Unsplash.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-17

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

Many changed their plans to visit America much less gun violence

[spermwhale]

I find this hard to believe. I doubt seriously that the Chinese suddenly consider Thailand dangerous after an incident like that. One month's worth of data does not a trend make. The end of the article noted all of the Chinese airlines that have established direct routes to Chiang Mai. It didn't say that any of those flights had been cancelled. 

 

And if they are expecting half as many tourists this year due to an event that happened this month, then there is something else going on. 60,000 fewer arrivals in a month still doesn't add up to reduce tourists from 10 million to 5 millions. 

 

Also this article states that 60,000 Chinese tourists cancelled their flights leading to a drop of 650,000 to 590,000 from one month to the next. Just because tourism drops by 60,000 doesn't mean they all cancelled. Perhaps those flights were never booked in the first place.

 

What a bunch of rubbish. 

[spidermike007]

Good. Maybe the goons will realize there is a price to be paid for sloth, indifference, massive corruption, and letting the caustic, toxic army soldiers and officers, and the cops, deal in weapons. 

 

Hurt them where they feel it most. Go after their sacred golden calf of money. 

[BusyB]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Should we thank the young gunman then?    (Sorry, bad taste)

What does the OP photo illustrate?

Tuktuks stood idle indicating a collapse in tourism.

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, DGS1244 said:

I doubt for one minute that the shooting had anything to do with the reduced tourist numbers. more likely that China if feeling the pinch from lower income and money is not so much available.

Any excuse for falling numbers will do, just don't mention a worldwide economic recession which is a harbinger of bad news for the future predictions of hoards of tourists banging at the immigration gates.

[heybuz]

Going by the photo i believe they are avoiding thailand for fear of tuk tuks.

 

[Robbkk]

Terrible article. They only know that the number of Chinese tourists went down.

 

Calling it "cancellations" and linking it to gun violence is all speculation. They only have data from the airports. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Robbkk

[Andre0720]

FEAR, one must overcome this debilitating emotion as early in life as possible...

[ThaiFelix]

Aaaahhh I see the problem, they are not reading the right news reports.