Chinese tourists, wary of Thailand, plan other stops for Lunar New Year travel

After a high-profile incident has left Chinese travellers fearful of their safety while visiting Thailand, interest in the country as a vacation destination has fallen ahead of the annual Lunar New Year holiday according to travel analytics, with Japan and Malaysia appearing to fill some of the vacuum.

The number of bookings for Thailand by travellers in China – one of the world’s biggest pools of outbound tourists – declined by 15.6 per cent for the period from January 13 to 20 compared to the previous week, per travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk.

Japan and Malaysia have picked up bookings especially fast this year, leading other popular choices, data from the firm shows. Bookings for Japan through January 20 had grown by 86 per cent over the same period of 2024, with Malaysia beating last year’s figures by 79.2 per cent.

Thailand has made a further appeal to those anxious about a potential trip with the launch of its Tourist Police app. The mobile tool has Chinese language support, real-time location sharing and emergency reporting features, a spokeswoman for the travel analytics firm ForwardKeys said.