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Where have all the Chinese tourists in Pattaya gone?
Chinese tourists enjoying themselves in Pattaya’s most famous street.
It’s mostly bad news for the Thai tourist industry, especially in resort areas such as Pattaya. In 2019, eleven million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, mostly on packed charter flights, but even a total six million looks overly ambitious for the calendar year 2025. On Pattaya’s Walking Street, there is a noticeable lack of Chinese tour leaders holding aloft a flag to shepherd their groups through the neon attractions and brightly-lit lanterns..
The Eastern Chapter of the Thai hoteliers’ association, which includes Pattaya, says there are many reasons for the fall-off. Kidnappings and tales of Chinese nationals forced into slave-like status in cyber scam businesses in neighboring Myanmar have captivated social media in China. Scary movies such as No More Bets have depicted such harrowing scenes, howbeit in an unnamed south east Asian country.
Arrests of Chinese nationals for visa irregularities and illegal working, including gambling syndicates and improper use of foreign nominees in businesses in Phuket and Pattaya, have alarmed potential vacationers not only in Beijing but in cities nationwide such as Ningbo, Hefei and Jinan which once had direct flights here. It is not clear that the introduction of casinos in Thailand would benefit mass Chinese tourism because of gambling’s historic links to corruption.
Sisdivachr Cheewarratanaporn, president of the Thai travel agents’ association, says the Chinese have also been alienated by weak law enforcement and corruption in Thailand. For example, there is abundant evidence of the abuse of the 60 days visa-exempt regulations and the fraudulent awarding of student visas to Chinese who absolutely have no intention of going back to school. Other negative factors include the recent earthquake, the trade war between the United States and China and Beijing’s encouragement of domestic tourism.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s rival tourist destinations have been active. In the first three months of 2025, more Chinese separately visited Japan or Vietnam than Thailand. As regards Japan, the depreciation of the yen leading to cheaper holidays has been a leading factor, together with memoranda of understanding with secondary Chinese cities. Vietnam has made a visa exemption agreement with China and promoted a cross-border QR code payment system.
In response, Thai authorities are seeking new solutions. The Association of Thai Travel Agents is organizing familiarization trips for Chinese travel agents from 30 provinces and urging the government to convince Chinese operators about health and safety here via better digital engagement. Tirawan Taechaubol, whose family runs a chain of luxury hotels, is campaigning to attract better-off Chinese vacationers rather than the traditional package tourist. Another growth area is believed to be gay Chinese who find Thailand a congenial destination and are showing great interest in condominium purchases (particularly Bangkok and Pattaya) and longstay visas such as Elite. That trend could be a bonus of Thailand’s legitimization of same sex marriage and civil rights.
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