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泰国苦等中国游客
投资界·2025-09-25 03:51

Core Viewpoint - The Thai tourism industry is facing significant challenges due to a sharp decline in Chinese tourist arrivals, leading to price reductions and a series of government interventions to stimulate demand [5][19]. Group 1: Current Situation of Thai Tourism - The Thai hotel industry has seen a downturn after four years of price increases, primarily due to a substantial drop in visitors from China, with foreign tourist numbers decreasing by 7.2% year-on-year as of August [5][6]. - In the second quarter of 2025, foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand totaled 717,000, generating approximately 312 billion Thai Baht in revenue, a 12% decline compared to the previous year, with Chinese tourists down by 46% [5][6]. - The lack of Chinese tourists has led to a reliance on European visitors, but this is insufficient to compensate for the loss, indicating a structural issue in the tourism market [6][19]. Group 2: Factors Affecting Chinese Tourist Confidence - The incident involving Wang Xing, who was kidnapped at the Thai-Myanmar border, has severely impacted Chinese tourists' confidence, causing many families to choose alternative destinations like Japan and Singapore [8][9]. - Predictions suggest that in 2025, only about 500,000 Chinese tourists will visit Thailand, with most trips being business-related rather than leisure, a stark contrast to pre-pandemic figures [9][19]. - Neighboring countries such as Japan and Vietnam are experiencing significant increases in Chinese tourist arrivals, further eroding Thailand's market share [12][14][17]. Group 3: Government Response and Market Strategies - The Thai government has implemented various measures to attract tourists, including virtual currency exchanges, free domestic flight tickets, and subsidies, but these efforts have not yielded the desired results [6][18]. - The tourism industry is struggling with the effectiveness of traditional stimulus measures, as the loss of Chinese tourists represents a fundamental shift in travel preferences rather than a temporary setback [18][19]. - There are concerns that ongoing government support programs are not reaching smaller hotels effectively, leading to financial strain on these businesses [19][20].