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Thailand opens its doors: new flights from China bring tourists!
Thailand is responding to a decline in Chinese tourists with new flight connections and targeted marketing strategies.
Thailand opens its doors: new flights from China bring tourists!
Something is happening in the tourism sector in Thailand! The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set an ambitious target to meet tourist demand during the upcoming holidays. After the pandemic and the associated drop in the number of visitors, the use of additional flight capacity is an important step. Charter flights will be offered from several Chinese cities such as Xi'an, Chengdu and Hefei, landing mainly in Bangkok, with some connections to Samui and Chiang Mai. This shows how keen the Thai government is to quickly restart the tourism sector.
The rush of Chinese tourists is becoming increasingly clear. Between September 26 and October 2, 2025, Thailand welcomed over 586,000 international visitors, including over 123,000 from China. These numbers are a ray of hope, especially considering that arrivals from China have risen rapidly in recent weeks.
Review and challenges
But the situation is not entirely rosy. How Thailand tip reports, the tourism sector recorded a significant 34% decline in arrivals from China in the first half of 2025, bringing the total number of visitors down to 2.27 million. This came at a time when Thailand recorded a total of 16.7 million international tourists - a decline of 4.66% compared to the previous year. These developments show how important it is for the Thai government to act nimbly to regain the trust of Chinese tourists.
The forecasts show that the numbers for 2025 are still below expectations. The President of the ATTA, Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, emphasizes the need to quickly adapt strategies to reach pre-pandemic tourism numbers. The charter flight market is now to be strengthened with a planned economic stimulus package of almost 4 billion baht. Effective advertising could potentially achieve six million arrivals from China, but this would still fall short of the TAT's targets.
A new plan for the future
Given the worrying declines, Thailand will need to rethink its tourism strategy. Before the pandemic, visitors from China accounted for a quarter of all international tourists. After the end of the zero-Covid policy in China, it is clear that special tests or proof of vaccination are no longer required. This is a positive step that will facilitate the return of Chinese tourists, like daily news reported.
As the first planes began to fill up with Chinese tourists again, local entrepreneurs like Dokchan Gobhuea, a massage parlor owner, expressed mixed feelings. They are happy about the return of tourists, but are also worried about a possible resurgence of Covid infections. At the same time, restaurant operators report quiet times when guests spend less. Smaller businesses are struggling to survive, while large chains are doing better.
Thailand is planning a sustainable future in tourism and does not want to turn back to mass tourism. A new tourist fee is likely to be introduced in the future to improve the attractiveness of tourist destinations. However, this fee, which is expected to be just under nine euros per person, is still up for discussion.
The next few months will be crucial for the comeback of tourism in Thailand. With a clear strategy and the right commitment, the country could soon be popular again in international travel.