Sawt Falasteen - Fears of scam centre kidnaps keep Chinese tourists on edge in Thailand

Chinese nationals topped the list of visitors to Thailand last year, with nearly seven million making the trip to Thailand in 2024.

But high-profile kidnappings on the Thai-Myanmar border have sent a chill through the market at a peak period, with a reported 10,000 trips cancelled during the Lunar New Year holidays.

Thai aviation chiefs say they expect arrivals from China over the January 24 to February 2 period to be down on 2024, despite higher traveller numbers overall.

Even those who have brave the trip are uneasy.

"I didn't dare to tell my family, so I came here secretly," Gao, a 29-year-old tourist from Hainan province who gave only one name, told AFP at Wat Pho, the Thai capital's Temple of the Reclining Buddha.

Fears were heightened after Chinese actor Wang Xing was rescued from a cyber fraud centre in Myanmar earlier this month.

Wang said he was lured to Thailand on the promise of an audition, only to be whisked off and smuggled across the border.

The fact that kidnappings appear to be carried out by Chinese speakers is making tourists wary.

"When we are here, we try not to talk too much to people who speak Chinese," Hu Yangfan, a 25-year-old tourist from Zhejiang in eastern China told AFP near the Grand Palace, one of Bangkok's most famous landmarks.

- Chinese cancellations -

China is a hugely important market for Thailand as it seeks to rebuild its crucial tourism sector after the devastating impact of travel shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tourism generated more than $50 billion in 2024, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, equivalent to around 10 percent of GDP.

Of that, travel over the Lunar New Year period accounted for more than $1 billion as Chinese visitors sought shopping bargains and cultural experiences.

However, following kidnapping reports, public broadcaster ThaiPBS said around 10,000 Chinese tourists had cancelled flights, citing Airports of Thailand (AOT), which runs the kingdom's main international terminals.

Kasikorn Bank said in a research note Friday that Chinese visitor numbers could be down by as much as 17.5 percent during this year's holiday period compared with 2024.

The government is deeply concerned and took the highly unusual step last week of publishing an AI-generated video of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra insisting -- in Mandarin, a language she does not speak -- that the kingdom was safe for Chinese tourists.

"The bad situation isn't caused by Thai people, but sparked concerns among Chinese tourists visiting the country," she said on social media platform X.

A junior Chinese security minister visited Thailand to press the government to do more to crack down on the gangs running scam compounds.

And Paetongtarn said she would use talks with Beijing next week to try to allay fears.

- Tour guide fears -

Those on the front line of the Thai tourism industry are feeling the effects.

Back at the Grand Palace, tour guide Buri Chin eyed the thinning crowd of Chinese tourists with unease.

Fluent in Mandarin, Buri has spent decades guiding Chinese visitors around Bangkok's historic sights but said the mood had changed lately.

"When I ask if they need a Chinese-speaking guide, many seem scared. They don't even want to talk to strangers," he told AFP.

He said he was bracing for a tough season.

"The number of Chinese tourists will definitely be lower this year," Buri said.

"Many Chinese-speaking guides I know are heading back to their hometowns instead of working during the holidays," he added.

Not all visitors are worried.

A 65-year-old man from Shanghai who gave his name only as Li dismissed safety concerns.

"Tourism is their lifeline. If Thailand was truly dangerous, its reputation would collapse," Li told AFP.

"We walk around in the evening and it's very safe."

W.AbuLaban--SF-PST