Pattaya Feels the Void – Once a favorite for Chinese tourists, the beach city now sees shuttered shops and thinning crowds as safety concerns take a toll on arrivals. PATTAYA, Thailand – As Chinese tour groups vanish from Thailand, it’s not only Pattaya’s beachfront businesses that are hurting — Chiang Mai, the kingdom’s northern tourism crown jewel, is feeling the sting just as sharply. In recent months, Chinese arrivals in Chiang Mai have plummeted by over 90%, with popular attractions like Tha Phae Gate now dominated by tourists from Taiwan and Vietnam. A once-thriving trade catering to Chinese visitors — including costume rentals, souvenir stalls, and mid-range hotels — is collapsing under the weight of empty streets and shuttered bookings. A traditional costume shop, Ao Jao, reports a 70% drop in Chinese customers. Hotels that once boasted 70-90% occupancy now struggle to fill even 30-40% of their rooms. In 2024, Chinese tourist numbers in Chiang Mai fell to 320,000, down from 570,000 the year before. In the first five months of 2025, fewer than 130,000 Chinese nationals have visited the city. Worapoj Chatkanchana, Executive of Chiang Mai Sky Travel, says the downturn is “like watching an empire vanish.” Once hosting 6,000–7,000 Chinese tourists daily, his operation now sees fewer than 100 — a collapse that forced him to reinvent his business entirely. He’s now promoting a “sea in a valley” nature experience to keep his 300 staff employed. Chiang Mai’s Empty Streets Tell the Tale – Once bustling with Chinese tour groups, popular sites like Tha Phae Gate now echo with silence as safety fears drive tourists elsewhere. The core issue? Safety fears. According to Worapoj, viral social media posts in China about scams, kidnappings, and organized crime in Thailand have created deep-seated anxiety among Chinese tourists and their families. “The perception of danger has become a deciding factor,” he said. “Travel agents in China are just skipping Thailand. They’re booking Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea instead.” The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) acknowledges the challenge and is actively trying to open new markets. Indian and Russian travelers are being courted through expos like TTM+ (Thailand Travel Mart Plus), but the elephant in the room remains: how to convince the Chinese — once Thailand’s biggest spenders — that it’s safe to come back? This steep decline in Chinese visitors is not confined to Chiang Mai or Pattaya. The impact is nationwide, affecting everything from airline schedules and airport traffic to night markets and local tour guides. “We’re facing a structural change in inbound tourism,” one local Chiang Mai hotelier said. “And without Chinese tourists, our economy is missing its backbone.” Thailand’s tourism-dependent cities are sounding the alarm — restoring confidence isn’t just a policy priority, it’s now a survival issue.