National —
On October 2nd, 2024, Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), predicted a significant increase in Chinese tourist arrivals during China’s National Day holiday from October 1st to 7th.
The number of daily arrivals is expected to rise by 30% compared to regular periods, with an average of 18,000 Chinese tourists per day, remarked Thapanee.
Chinese tourists often take advantage of this long holiday to travel abroad, and Thailand remains a top destination. TAT forecasts that between 132,000-183,000 Chinese visitors will enter Thailand during the week, representing a 57-144% increase from the same period in 2023.
This influx is projected to generate 3.71-5.18 billion baht in revenue, with visitors spending around 6,300 baht per day and staying an average of six days.
Flight bookings from China to Thailand for the holiday week have surged by 250% compared to last year, with the peak expected on October 1st. Many Chinese tourists began arriving early on September 28th, as they now tend to book their trips just eight days in advance, often traveling in smaller groups of about 13 people, according to Thapanee.
Direct flights from China to Thailand have increased by 70%, with 1,097 flights from 43 cities across China, offering 197,757 seats into six key airports: Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui, and Udon Thani Airports, said Thapanee.
Thapanee highlighted that the visa exemption, allowing Chinese tourists to stay up to 30 days since March 2024, has been a strong motivator. From March to July, Chinese tourist arrivals surged by 122%, with over 4.1 million visitors. As of September 22nd, 2024, a total of 5.1 million Chinese tourists had visited Thailand this year.
TPN media notes, however, that not everyone in Thailand is optimistic about the Chinese tourism market as we reported here.
