Thailand will see Chinese tourists soon
Thailand and Chinese Tourists in 2026: What Is Actually Happening
In 2022, the Thai tourism industry was running on rumors. Word spread that China would allow Thai tour groups again before October’s Golden Week. Industry figures like Vichit Prakobgosol, vice-president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, urged caution while privately hoping the speculation was right. Thailand had been China’s number one international destination before the pandemic: 11 million Chinese arrivals in 2019. The absence of that market had hit the country’s tourism economy hard.
By 2024-2025, the Chinese tourists came back. Not in the same form, not through the same channels, and not in the same numbers yet. But they came back. Thailand received approximately 6.5 million Chinese visitors in 2024, roughly 60% of pre-pandemic peak. The trajectory is positive. The profile of the returning visitor is what the Thai industry is still figuring out.
I have been running campaigns for Thai hospitality clients since 2021. The recovery has been real but uneven. What worked in 2019 does not work now. Here is what we have seen on the ground.
Who Is Coming Back to Thailand
The Chinese group tour that once filled Pattaya hotels and Phuket beach clubs is a smaller share of the returning market. The dominant profile in 2024-2025 is the FIT traveler: independent, younger (typically 25-40), researching destinations on Xiaohongshu before booking, prioritizing authentic experiences over packaged itineraries, and spending more per day than the group-tour traveler of 2019.
Bangkok has recovered fastest, driven by shopping, street food culture, and the city’s strong existing Chinese-language tourism setup. Chiang Mai attracts the slow-travel segment: Chinese travelers staying 1-2 weeks, living like residents, generating sustained Xiaohongshu content about northern Thai food culture and temple architecture. Krabi and Koh Samui recover more slowly, partly because flight connectivity from secondary Chinese cities is still rebuilding.
One number that surprised us: average stay has gone up. In 2019 it was 7 days. In 2024 it was closer to 9. Chinese travelers who come now stay longer, plan more carefully, and spend more per trip. The volume is lower but the quality of visitor is higher for most hotel categories.
Key Statistics: Thailand’s Chinese Tourism Market in 2026
| Metric | 2019 (Peak) | 2024 (Recovery) | 2026 (Projection) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese arrivals | 11 million | ~6.5 million | 8-10 million |
| Average stay (days) | 7 | 9 | 10+ |
| FIT share of Chinese arrivals | ~35% | ~65% | ~70% |
| Top origin cities | Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou | + Chengdu, Chongqing | Tier 2 cities growing fast |
| Primary research platform | WeChat Moments | Xiaohongshu + Douyin | RedNote dominant |
| Visa requirement | Visa on arrival | Visa-free (permanent 2024) | Visa-free |
| Avg daily spend (USD) | ~$180 | ~$220 | ~$240 |
Thailand’s Key Advantages for Chinese Tourists
Thailand holds structural advantages over almost any competitor for the Chinese tourism market. Visa-free access, made permanent in 2024, removes the single biggest friction point. Flight connectivity from over 30 Chinese cities is among the densest of any international destination. Thai baht pricing makes Thailand one of the most cost-accessible international destinations from China. And the Thai tourism setup: Chinese-language menus, Alipay and WeChat Pay acceptance, Chinese-speaking guides, is the most developed of any non-East-Asian destination.
Japan and South Korea compete hard on quality and culture. But neither has Thailand’s price point or its volume of direct connections from lower-tier Chinese cities. That is a durable edge.
What We Got Wrong: Agency Case Studies
Case Study 1: Phuket beach resort, 2023
We worked with a 5-star beach resort in Phuket that had a strong pre-pandemic Chinese group-tour business. In 2023, they wanted to switch to attracting FIT Chinese travelers. Their instinct was to recreate what had worked before: group promotions through Chinese tour operators, discounted packages, WeChat ads targeting Chinese travel agencies.
What we got wrong: we let them start with the channel that had worked before rather than with the audience that was coming now. Six months of outreach to group-tour operators generated almost nothing. The group-tour market had not recovered and those operators had no interest in our resort’s new FIT positioning.
What we do now: we build the RedNote presence first. Before any B2B outreach. Chinese FIT travelers who research Phuket on RedNote need to find content about your property before the agent conversation happens. The property now publishes 12 pieces of RedNote content per month: villa photography, local food guides, beach snorkeling spots, and honest reviews from Chinese guests. Inquiries from Chinese FIT travelers have increased 3x since the switch.
Case Study 2: Chiang Mai boutique hotel, 2024
A 28-room boutique hotel in Chiang Mai’s Nimman neighborhood had started getting organic Chinese visitors in 2023 and wanted to scale the volume. They assumed the solution was Douyin video campaigns, because they had seen competitors doing them.
What we got wrong: we helped them produce a Douyin campaign before they had any Chinese social proof. The videos were beautiful. Nobody watched them, because the algorithm had no reason to push content from an account with zero Chinese followers and no engagement history.
What we do now: we seed Chinese platforms first. We identified 8 Chinese digital nomads already living in Chiang Mai and invited them to stay for 3 nights in exchange for honest RedNote posts. Those 8 posts generated 4,200 saves and 340 direct messages to the hotel’s RedNote account. That social proof fed the Douyin algorithm when we launched the video campaign 6 weeks later. First Douyin video: 180,000 views. The seeding step cannot be skipped.
Case Study 3: Thai cooking school, Bangkok, 2024-2025
A well-known Thai cooking school with an existing Chinese client base wanted to grow its share of Chinese bookings and add a premium class designed specifically for Chinese food culture interests.
What we got wrong: we designed the premium class around what the school’s owners thought Chinese visitors would want. We missed that Chinese travelers were specifically interested in the historical connection between Thai and Chinese cooking: shared ingredients, migration routes, Teochew influence on Bangkok food culture. The premium class as designed underperformed.
What we do now: we ask the RedNote audience directly. A simple question post on the school’s RedNote account: “What do Chinese cooks most want to learn about Thai food?” generated 290 comments in 72 hours. The top answers reshaped the premium class curriculum. Enrollment in the redesigned class is now 85% Chinese bookings, up from 40% in the original version.
Solutions: How Thai Tourism Can Accelerate Recovery
RedNote (Xiaohongshu) Strategy
Build destination-specific RedNote accounts for Chiang Mai, Krabi, and Koh Samui. Bangkok has organic Chinese social media presence and strong brand recognition. Secondary destinations need dedicated RedNote accounts that publish consistent content: local food guides, hidden temple routes, beach photography spots. This builds the discovery pipeline that Bangkok already has organically.
Create “slow travel Thailand” content targeting the long-stay segment. Chinese FIT travelers staying 10-14 days need different content than week-trippers. RedNote content series on renting apartments in Chiang Mai, working remotely from Koh Lanta, or cooking Thai food with a local family addresses this segment’s research needs and consistently generates high saves from the right audience.
Develop Chinese food culture content bridging Thai and Chinese cooking. Thai food and Chinese palates are highly compatible. RedNote content that explicitly connects Thai and Chinese food culture: “Why Thai basil feels familiar to Chinese cooks” or “The Chinese influences in Thai street food,” performs well and builds emotional connection that generic tourism content cannot.
Target Chinese medical and wellness tourism actively. Thailand’s medical tourism setup for dental, cosmetic, and wellness treatments is world-class and significantly cheaper than equivalent quality in China. This segment is researched almost exclusively on RedNote and Zhihu. Content that honestly compares Thailand’s medical quality and costs with Chinese alternatives reaches high-spending, high-intent travelers. See also our guide on Chinese outbound tourism strategy for more on this segment.
Douyin Strategy
Partner with Chinese Douyin creators already based in Thailand. There is a substantial Chinese expat and long-stay community in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. Chinese Douyin creators living in Thailand produce authentic content from lived experience that is significantly more trusted than produced tourism campaigns. Find these creators and build formal partnerships around destination content.
Create “night market and street food” Douyin series. Thai night markets and street food culture are among the most consistently high-performing content categories on Douyin’s travel vertical. A series of short videos, each featuring one specific dish or market with local context, builds a searchable content library that drives organic discovery long after publication.
Use Douyin Live for real-time destination showcases during Chinese holidays. During Golden Week and Chinese New Year, millions of potential Thailand visitors are actively making destination decisions. Live streaming from Chatuchak market at dawn, a Chiang Mai lantern festival, or a Railay Beach sunset reaches audiences at the exact moment they are most receptive to destination content.
Run “Thailand vs alternatives” content that addresses comparison shopping. Chinese travelers considering Thailand actively compare it with Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. Douyin content that honestly addresses this comparison: “Why I chose Thailand over Japan for this trip,” captures high-intent viewers in the active decision phase. Honest comparisons generate the engagement that drives algorithmic reach. For more on how Chinese travelers research destinations, see the RedNote for tourism guide.
What a Real Chinese Traveler Said
From a Xiaohongshu post by user @清迈生活研究所 (“Chiang Mai Life Institute”), titled “I have lived in Chiang Mai for 8 months: the complete honest guide,” 71,400 likes, 38,200 saves, posted January 2025:
“Cost of living in Chiang Mai for a Chinese working remotely: rent for a 1-bedroom near Nimman 5,500 baht (about 1,100 RMB). Coworking space monthly membership 2,000 baht. Food: eating local Thai food costs 150-200 baht per day. Total monthly cost: approximately 25,000 baht, which is 5,000 RMB. I earn in RMB and spend in baht and it has changed my life. Thailand is not just a holiday destination. For Chinese people willing to try, it is the best value quality-of-life upgrade available anywhere in the world right now.”
FAQ: Chinese Tourism to Thailand in 2026
Is Thailand still the most popular destination for Chinese tourists?
Thailand remains in the top three international destinations for Chinese outbound travelers, alongside Japan and South Korea. Its visa-free status, price point, and flight connectivity make it the most accessible premium international destination for Chinese travelers from secondary and tertiary cities.
Do Chinese tourists still prefer Phuket or has the destination mix changed?
Bangkok leads in absolute numbers. Phuket and Krabi attract the beach segment, with recovery slower than Bangkok due to flight connectivity rebuilding. Chiang Mai has significantly grown its share of Chinese visitors, driven by the digital nomad and slow-travel segment.
What Chinese payment methods work in Thailand?
Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted at most major tourist-facing businesses, hotels, and shopping malls in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. In smaller towns and local markets, Thai baht cash remains necessary. UnionPay card acceptance is widespread.
How has visa-free access changed Chinese tourist behavior in Thailand?
Significantly. Spontaneous short-notice trips have increased: Chinese travelers booking 1-2 weeks before departure, which was rare under the visa-on-arrival system. Repeat visits have also increased, as the visa barrier previously limited how often a Chinese traveler would return to Thailand.
What is the biggest mistake Thai tourism operators make with Chinese FIT travelers?
Assuming that B2B agency outreach is the starting point. Chinese FIT travelers do not find destinations through agencies. They find them through RedNote. Build your RedNote presence and content library before spending anything on B2B outreach.
Work With Us
If your Thai hotel, island resort, or tourism operator wants to build a Chinese visitor strategy for 2026: RedNote content programs, Douyin partnerships, Chinese travel agent outreach, we have the market knowledge and platform relationships to make it work.
Contact us to discuss your Thailand Chinese tourism strategy.
Alex is a project manager at Chinese Tourist Agency. She has been based in Shanghai for 10+ years and manages digital campaigns for tourism clients across Southeast Asia.
