Chinese travelers are canceling trips to Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries following the kidnapping of actor Wang Xing, highlighting growing safety concerns and prompting a shift towards alternative destinations.
Chinese travelers are canceling their plans to visit Thailand during the Lunar New Year holiday due to ongoing concerns about the recent kidnapping of actor Wang Xing. The incident, which involved Wang being lured to Bangkok and held in a scamming compound along the Thai-Myanmar border, has caused ripples of unease among Chinese tourists. Net booking volume for trips to Thailand plummeted by 15.6% from January 13 to January 20, following news of Wang's rescue.
This decline in travel bookings is not isolated to Thailand. Data from the aviation analytics company VariFlight reveals that Chinese travelers have also canceled holiday trips to Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, though to a lesser extent. China Trading Desk CEO Subramania Bhatt attributes the broader impact to travelers often planning multi-country trips within Southeast Asia, resulting in some cancellations affecting these other destinations as well. He highlights Thailand as the most significantly impacted, stating that the other Southeast Asian countries are experiencing 'collateral damage.'During the same week in January, Chinese travelers showed a preference for alternative destinations, booking more Lunar New Year trips to Australia (+4.8%), the United Arab Emirates (+4.7%), and South Korea (+3.9%). Thailand has been actively trying to alleviate these concerns. The country's prime minister posted a message on its government's Facebook page last Wednesday, attempting to reassure Chinese tourists about the safety of traveling to Thailand. Meanwhile, Chinese officials announced their readiness to collaborate with Southeast Asian nations to combat cross-border scamming operations, according to China's State Council.This shift in travel sentiment from Southeast Asia to other destinations presents opportunities for alternative tourist hotspots. Yang Lei, analyst at China Galaxy International, points out that Chinese travelers are becoming more cautious about visiting Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. She predicts that Japan and South Korea will remain popular choices for outbound travel. Additionally, Chinese travelers are showing increased interest in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States during this Chinese New Year. The kidnapping of Wang, who was lured to Bangkok under false pretenses, has reignited anxieties among Chinese travelers regarding the safety of visiting Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia. This incident follows the release of the 2023 Chinese blockbuster film 'No More Bets,' which depicted a Chinese couple being lured into a human trafficking scheme in Southeast Asia. The film further fueled these worries, highlighting the prevalence of scams and human trafficking in the region, particularly in special economic zones in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, where law enforcement is often weak or absent
CHINESE TRAVELERS THAILAND VIETNAM SINGAPORE MALAYSIA KIDNAPPING SAFETY CONCERNS TRAVEL TRENDS SOUTHEAST ASIA ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS CHINA TRAVEL DEMAND
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