Popular vacation destinations, hotels, and resorts in Thailand have reportedly been forced to slash prices due to the decline in Chinese tourists this year.
Hotels are apparently seeing more vacant rooms, while tourist spots are now seeing fewer visitors. The main cause for the decline in mainland visitors to Thailand has been attributed to the ongoing trade dispute between China and the United States, while also being compounded by the strengthening baht.
Thailand's travel and tourism industry currently accounts for around 18 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). While the country does attract tourists from all over the globe, a good chunk of those visitors has been from China. Chinese visitors to the country's popular destinations are estimated to account for more than 25 percent of its total arrivals.
According to official Thailand tourism figures, the number of tourists visiting the country from January to September this year has declined by more than 20 percent from the 2.2 million visitors over the same period in 2018.
Some hotels and resorts have mentioned that they had noticed a drastic decline in Chinese tourists over the past couple of months.
The ongoing trade dispute between China and the United States has caused some Chinese travelers to hold off on their travel plans to the uncertainty back home.
Most have also avoided traveling to Thailand due to the increasing value of the baht against the Chinese yuan. As of this year, Thailand's currency has increased by around 10 percent against the yuan.
Another factor that had contributed to the declining Chinese visitors is the recent boating disaster that happened late last year, which killed 47 Chinese tourists.
Tourism-related companies have expressed their concerns over the declining visitors, which could negatively affect the tens of thousands of jobs within the industry.
Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, the vice president of the association of hotels in Thailand had mentioned that business was not good this year. The number of establishments being built this year is apparently becoming a problem as there are now fewer people to fill up the newly built rooms, restaurants, and shops.
Thailand's tourism chairman, Yuthasak Supasorn, has shrugged off most of the concerns and has remained optimistic that the country will see a surge of new visitors in the coming years.
Thailand is apparently now looking into tapping other markets outside of China, with India being its primary target. Hotels and tour package operators are apparently now ramping up their efforts to tap into India's massive travel industry.
Tourism authorities have mentioned that they expect a big jump in visitors from India this year. The country's tourism authority mentioned that it expects India to revive Thailand's tourism industry as it has seen a gradual increase in the number of visitors.
