Potential visitors from China are more concerned about tourist scams than political uncertainty in Thailand, while a slow economic recovery on the mainland could affect this market somewhat, according to the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta).
Atta president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn said Thailand should strengthen safety measures to improve the image of the country and convince Chinese tourists who remain concerned about tourists scams, the health and safety of tourism products and services as well as substandard travel experiences.
Mr Sisdivachr said even if there is a political vacuum over the next 2-3 months, Chinese tourists would not be concerned about this factor or any possible political unrest.
However, to reach the 5-million goal set by the government, there should be at least 2 million Chinese arrivals in the third quarter, or 12,000-15,000 visitors per day, followed by a massive flow of more than 2 million in the final quarter.
As of June 18, the number of Chinese tourists who have visited the country so far this year stood at 1.29 million, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
One remaining obstacle is the limited capacity of tour groups due to the complicated visa application process and the long period required to secure approval.
At present, just 10% of visitors from China use tour services from Atta members, compared with 40-50% in 2019, when Thailand attracted a large volume of tour groups.
Moreover, tourists who want to apply for the visa-on-arrival at the airport regularly face a long queue, he said.
Mr Sisdivachr said even though there's no significant decline in spending among Chinese visitors at present due to the economic slowdown in China, the tourism industry should still keep an eye on this issue as it could affect consumer confidence.
Atta is now in the process of helping accommodate over 1,000 business travellers from China who will be attending the World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention to be held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center this weekend.
Mr Sisdivachr said the convention would indirectly help boost the Chinese market to Thailand.
The association yesterday also held its first business-to-business meeting entitled "Atta Travel Mart" since before the pandemic.
He said the new tourism minister should coordinate more with the private sectors to set up action plans in tourism promotion, and increase collaboration with other ministries to develop the key driver to the economy.
Mr Sisdivachr said the number of Chinese tourists in 2024 is forecast to exceed 10 million while the overall number of inbound is expected to resume to 40 million if there are no more negative impacts.
