Concerns over the recent kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand are causing Chinese travelers to cancel their planned trips to the country. This incident has also impacted travel bookings to Vietnam and Singapore. While Thailand officials are working to assure tourists of their safety, the incident has sparked a broader unease among Chinese travelers regarding safety in Southeast Asia.
Chinese travelers are canceling plans to visit Thailand during the Lunar New Year break, as concerns over the kidnapping of actor Wang Xing continue to reverberate through the country. Net booking volume for trips to Thailand fell 15.6% from Jan. 13 to Jan. 20, after news of the rescue of Wang from a scamming compound along the Thai-Myanmar border. Some Chinese travelers are also canceling trips to Vietnam and Singapore, which China Trading Desk CEO Subramania Bhatt called 'collateral damage.
' This decline in travel bookings to Thailand comes as a result of the recent kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was lured to Bangkok under false pretenses. His rescue from a scamming compound ignited fears among Chinese travelers about safety in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. The fallout from Wang's kidnapping is extending to other Southeast Asian destinations as well. Data from the aviation analytics company VariFlight shows that Chinese travelers have also canceled holiday trips to Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, though to a lesser extent than Thailand. 'The biggest decline is in Thailand. The other Southeast Asian countries are, I would say, collateral damage,' said Bhatt. 'A lot of folks plan to travel around the region as a single trip … so some have canceled trips that originate from these countries too.'Despite the decline in travel to Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations, Chinese travelers are showing increased interest in other destinations for the Lunar New Year holiday. Bookings for trips to Australia (+4.8%), the United Arab Emirates (+4.7%), and South Korea (+3.9%) saw an increase during the same week in January. Thailand officials are attempting to reassure Chinese tourists that traveling to the country is safe. On the government's Facebook page last Wednesday, the prime minister attempted to quell anxieties by emphasizing the safety of Thailand. Days earlier, Chinese officials stated their willingness to collaborate with Southeast Asian nations to crack down on cross-border scamming operations. The reluctance of Chinese travelers to visit Southeast Asia may be benefiting other destinations. Yang Lei, an analyst at the Hong Kong-based financial services company China Galaxy International, believes that Chinese travelers are becoming more cautious about visiting Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. She told CNBC's 'Squawk Box' on Monday that Japan and South Korea will continue to be popular destinations for outbound Chinese travelers. For this Chinese New Year, she also anticipates a strong interest in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States
Chinese Travelers Thailand Kidnapping Southeast Asia Lunar New Year Tourism Safety Concerns Wang Xing
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