Chinese arrivals in Thailand, normally a popular tourist destination, declined in October partly because of a fresh embassy warning against dangers such as getting snared by the country’s ever-active fraud rings.
The Southeast Asian country logged 308,942 arrivals from China last month, 13.6% lower than the same month last year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand told the South China Morning Post in a statement.
National Day on Oct 1 marks the start of a seven-day public holiday in China, spurring overseas travel. But after this year’s break, the Chinese embassy in Thailand urged citizens to plan trips carefully and pay particular attention to transport security following a rash of high-profile kidnappings targeting Chinese nationals.
The Oct 16 safety advisory contributed to last month’s drop in arrivals, the tourism authority said.
Telecoms fraud rings continue to operate in Thailand despite arrests, deportations and sentencings. Ten Chinese suspects were arrested in June over a Chiang Mai call centre targeting victims in China, the media outlet Thai PBS World reported, while the Bangkok Post said in August that police in the northern Thai city had arrested a Chinese scam ring financier during a raid.
In China’s latest warning, the embassy further advised online influencers and artists to remain vigilant against scams promising high-paying jobs in Thailand.
Some Chinese travellers have reacted online to the embassy’s caution with fears that Thais see them as part of a “grey industry” – a reference to illicit Chinese-run businesses. Many online commentators advised travelling within China instead, describing it as safer.
For Chinese travellers, safety and confidence are important destination-selection factors, especially when alternative Southeast Asian destinations are readily availableSubramania Bhatt, China Trading Desk
“I go a few times every year [to Thailand],” a Guangdong province-based WeChat user posted on Nov 3. “Many Thai people look down on Chinese with a stereotype, thinking all Chinese [businesses] are grey-zone products.”
In contrast to the October decline in arrivals, Thailand received 349,182 arrivals from China the previous month, according to the country’s Tourism and Sports Ministry.
Tourist arrivals fell year on year in October because of a “normal” slowdown after Golden Week compounded by “renewed concern about traveller safety”, particularly following reports of kidnappings and criminal networks, said Subramania Bhatt, CEO of China Trading Desk, a Singapore-based travel marketing technology company.
Flooding in Bangkok in late September and early October this year may have kept people away too, the tourism authority said. A month’s worth of precipitation fell in just three days in September, leaving parts of the capital under water.
Bhatt said group tours would be among the most likely to cancel trips to the country long known in China for tropical beaches, short flight times and low prices.
“For Chinese travellers, safety and confidence are important destination-selection factors, especially when alternative Southeast Asian destinations are readily available,” he said.
Shortly thereafter, then prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra used an AI-generated video to tell Chinese tourists that her country was taking steps to improve safety.
Chinese arrivals still fell significantly from 6.73 million in 2024 to 4.47 million in 2025. But China was the largest source of tourists to Thailand in the first 10 months of this year: the tourism authority recorded 4,244,376 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 12.4%.
Thailand aims to “restore confidence and stimulate demand from the Chinese market” through “proactive safety communication”, curated travel experiences and partnerships with Chinese media, the tourism authority said in an emailed statement.
“The final two months of the year represent an important opportunity to stimulate international visitor arrivals, as Thailand enters one of its most vibrant tourism seasons,” it added.
