Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, the TAT’s Deputy Governor for international marketing in Asia and South Pacific, said the most recent forecast of 3.4-3.5mn is based on China’s sluggish economy and its pivot to domestic tourism, reports Bangkok Post.
Mr Chattan said middle-class Chinese still travel, but with a lower budget. However, those with high purchasing power can help elevate average spending to B56,000-58,000 per trip, up from B50,052 recorded in 2019.
He said the TAT’s data aligns with Alipay’s figures, which found Chinese travellers spent B20,000 per trip, excluding accommodation and airfare, up from B11,000 per trip in 2019.
The share of independent tourists surged to 86% during the the first half of 2023, up from 61% in 2019, while the average length of stay rose to 7.9 days from 7.5 days, said Mr Chattan.
During the first half of 2023, Thailand claimed the top spot in securing the most Chinese tourists at 3.3% of outbound visitors. However, this data excluded Hong Kong and Macau, which accounted for 78% of arrivals from mainland China. Japan and Singapore gained a 2.5% and 1.8% market share, respectively.
The top 10 most popular destinations in Thailand were Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Krabi, Phangnga, Surat Thani, Nong Khai, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Satun.
Mr Chattan said without the visa exemption for Chinese tourists, the country would not be able to sustain the steady flow of 10,000 Chinese arrivals per day.
He said next month, the TAT plans to host a media familiarisation trip, inviting more than 100 Chinese key opinion leaders to explore new activities and destinations, along with testing safety measures for tourists.
Chuwit Sirivejkul, TAT regional director of marketing for East Asia, said recent news reports regarding Chinese street beggars and the shooting incident at Siam Paragon partially affected travel sentiment among Chinese people who have never visited Thailand, most of whom live in second- or third-tier cities.
The TAT estimates Chinese arrivals will recover to 8.2mn next year generating B452bn, driven by an increase in flight capacity and improved economic conditions.
As the government set an ambitious target for international tourism receipts at B2.5 trillion next year, Mr Chattan said the agency would focus on driving demand by easing travel measures, focusing on high-spending tourists and extending the length of stay for visitors across all markets.
He said many airlines are preparing to launch more flights from early next year, including Spring Airlines, which expects to operate 74 flights per week between Thailand and China from December, up from 52 flights per week at the moment.