Foreign arrivals have fallen 3.09% as Thailand’s tourism industry urges Prime Minister Anutin to win stronger China travel deals in Beijing after a failed India visa policy and China’s weakest economic growth recorded in more than three years.
Thailand’s tourism industry has issued an urgent appeal to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul as foreign arrivals fall, China’s economy slows to its weakest pace in more than three years and growing questions emerge over the Kingdom’s tourism strategy. Industry leaders want the Prime Minister to use his Beijing visit to secure stronger aviation and tourism ties with China after a failed Indian visa policy triggered a 20% slump in arrivals from the subcontinent, while fears grow that weakening Chinese demand could further hit Thailand’s biggest overseas visitor market.
Thailand’s slowing tourism recovery has prompted the country’s travel industry to urge Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to use his official visit to Beijing to strengthen cooperation with China as foreign arrivals continue to fall.
The appeal comes as China’s economy has slowed to its weakest quarterly growth in more than three years, raising fresh concerns over demand from Thailand’s largest tourism market.
Association of Thai Travel Agents honorary secretary-general Adith Chairattananon said the Prime Minister’s five-day state visit should produce practical tourism agreements rather than symbolic commitments.
Tourism leaders urge stronger China ties as arrivals fall and pressure grows on Thailand’s travel sector
Instead, he wants stronger air connectivity, closer government cooperation and long-term partnerships capable of sustaining Chinese visitor numbers despite weaker economic conditions.
Meanwhile, official figures illustrate the scale of Thailand’s challenge. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported that foreign arrivals reached 16.7 million between January 1 and July 11. However, that represented a 3.09% decline compared with the same period last year. The figures contrast with the government’s ambition of generating between 2.76 trillion and 2.9 trillion baht in tourism revenue during 2027.
At the same time, ministers have already been forced into one significant policy adjustment. Earlier plans to restore visas on arrival for Indian visitors immediately weakened demand from one of Thailand’s fastest-growing tourism markets.
Ministry officials acknowledged that arrivals from the subcontinent dropped by about 20% after the proposal emerged. Consequently, the Cabinet reversed course this week.
Visa reversal after India arrivals slump raises wider concerns over Thailand’s tourism policy direction
Under the revised arrangement, Indian passport holders will continue receiving visa-free entry. However, their permitted stay has been reduced to 30 days through a passport stamp. The change places India alongside China and all 27 European Union member states under the same visa exemption framework. Overall, visitors from 59 countries now qualify for the revised scheme.
Nevertheless, the visa episode has heightened wider concern across the tourism industry. Operators say policy certainty remains essential while Thailand competes with regional rivals for international travellers.
In addition, many businesses question the government’s increasing emphasis on tourism quality rather than total visitor numbers. Ministers have repeatedly highlighted visitor spending and economic value as key performance indicators. Even so, parts of the industry believe overall arrival numbers remain critical for airlines, hotels, tour operators and related businesses.
Against that backdrop, fresh economic data from China has added another layer of uncertainty. Official figures showed China’s economy expanded by 4.3% during the second quarter from a year earlier. The result missed market expectations of 4.5%. More significantly, it marked the country’s weakest quarterly growth since the fourth quarter of 2022.
China’s weakest growth in years deepens concerns over demand from Thailand’s biggest market
The latest figures point to uneven economic conditions. Industrial production has remained comparatively resilient. By contrast, household spending has stayed subdued. Consumer confidence remains weak while wage growth has slowed.
Furthermore, the prolonged property downturn continues to weigh on household wealth. Retail sales rose only modestly during June, while property investment declined sharply during the first half of the year.
Accordingly, Beijing has intensified efforts to stimulate domestic demand. National and provincial authorities have expanded campaigns encouraging Chinese consumers to travel within China rather than increase savings. Domestic tourism has therefore become a central pillar of economic policy. Authorities are also promoting spending on hotels, restaurants, transport and cultural attractions as they seek to strengthen the services sector.
On another front, economists continue warning that weaker global demand and trade tensions could place additional pressure on exports.
Beijing shifts focus to domestic tourism and consumer spending as economic pressures continue to mount
As a result, Chinese policymakers are placing greater emphasis on domestic consumption as a longer-term source of growth. Premier Li Qiang has acknowledged those headwinds while calling for stronger measures to stabilise employment and unlock consumer demand. Analysts are now watching for further policy measures following the weaker GDP figures.
For Thailand’s tourism sector, those developments matter directly. China remains one of the Kingdom’s most important visitor markets despite the recent slowdown in outbound travel. Consequently, Mr Adith believes the Prime Minister’s Beijing visit provides an opportunity to strengthen tourism cooperation before economic conditions weaken further.
Mr Adith said Thailand should forge strategic partnerships with Chinese secondary cities while securing more direct flights between the two countries. According to him, affordable promotional airfares would help sustain travel demand despite China’s slower economy.
He added that Thailand remains competitively priced compared with several rival destinations. Therefore, improved connectivity and competitive pricing could encourage more Chinese travellers to choose Thailand.
Tourism industry calls for flights, partnerships and strategic agreements to rebuild Chinese visitor numbers
In parallel, Mr Adith proposed positioning Thailand as a regional aviation hub linking China with Southeast Asia. He also suggested the Kingdom could provide alternative routes to Europe if geopolitical events disrupted traditional air corridors. He pointed to disruptions affecting Middle East routes during the first quarter as an example of why broader aviation cooperation would benefit both countries.
Separately, the Association of Thai Travel Agents wants Thailand and China to renew their Bilateral Tourism Agreement and broaden cooperation beyond conventional marketing campaigns.
Instead, the organisation proposes a strategic framework covering tourism development, policy coordination and long-term planning. As part of this, Mr Adith called for a permanent joint working committee to address issues affecting travellers from both countries, including tourist safety, tourism standards, security and tourism data exchanges.
Likewise, the association wants the government to accelerate an Asean-China tourism strategy. The proposal includes joint marketing campaigns promoting multi-country travel across Southeast Asia.
Industry seeks lasting Thailand-China tourism framework with wider Asean links and connectivity
It also supports closer integration of transport links, digital payment systems and tourism facilitation measures. According to Mr Adith, such cooperation would strengthen regional tourism while benefiting all participating countries.
Mr Adith summarised the industry’s expectations by saying: “This state visit to China should build long-term cooperation rather than simply pursue tourist arrivals or short-term gains, leveraging air connectivity, establishing a tourism cooperation framework, and creating a common market between China and Asean.”
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His appeal comes as Thailand attempts to reverse declining visitor numbers while navigating a more uncertain international tourism environment. The industry’s message is that stronger bilateral cooperation, stable policy and improved connectivity will become increasingly important if the Kingdom is to restore momentum in one of its most valuable economic sectors.
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