Why Chinese enjoy travel to Thailand ? (+Business Tips Bonus)

“How do I cancel my Thailand trip?” That search query generated over 380,000 posts on Xiaohongshu in January 2025. That is what happens when a Chinese celebrity gets kidnapped in your country. Thai tourism’s relationship with Chinese travelers went from record recovery mode to full crisis in the space of a few weeks. The good news: it is recovering. The complicated news: Chinese travelers now have a much more nuanced view of Thailand than they did before 2025.

In 2024, Thailand welcomed 6.7 million Chinese tourists, making China the largest single source market. In 2025, that fell to approximately 4.47 million, a drop of around 33%, largely driven by safety fears triggered by the Wang Xing kidnapping case in January 2025. For 2026, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has set a target of 6.7 million Chinese visitors again, trying to match 2024 levels. That is a 40%+ recovery effort in a single year.

The numbers

• Chinese visitors to Thailand in 2024: 6.7 million (largest source market).
• Chinese visitors in 2025: approximately 4.47 million, down roughly 33% year-on-year.
• TAT 2026 target: 6.7 million Chinese arrivals, representing 40%+ growth from 2025.
• Thailand ranked No. 1 most popular destination for online flight ticket sales during Chinese New Year 2026, with a 10.93% share.
• During Chinese New Year 2026 (Feb 13-22), 287,000 Chinese tourists visited Thailand, up 13% from CNY 2025.
• Average spend per Chinese visitor to Thailand: approximately USD 1,600 per trip, above the global visitor average.

Latest: what is happening right now

• March 2026, TAT / Bangkok Post: TAT launched the “Zhong Tai Yi Jia Qin” (China and Thailand Are One Family) campaign with a major roadshow in Shanghai in March 2026, followed by targeted Lunar New Year and Songkran activations. The campaign is supported by business-matching events and increased flight capacity recovery from 8 million seats in 2024 to a current target of 7.6 million in 2026.
• January 2025, multiple sources: Chinese actor Wang Xing was kidnapped upon arrival in Thailand and found days later near the Thai-Myanmar border. Flight cancellations from China to Thailand spiked 94% in January. On Xiaohongshu, “How do I cancel my Thailand trip?” generated over 380,000 posts. Safety perception for Thailand hit one of its worst survey scores in Dragon Trail International’s tracking.

What Chinese tourists think about Thailand

Before January 2025, Chinese sentiment toward Thailand was very strong. Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai: each had enormous organic content volume on Xiaohongshu. The visual appeal of Thai temples, floating markets, and street food was generating millions of posts and building a steady pipeline of Chinese travel intent. Thailand was also a gateway destination, the first international trip for tens of millions of Chinese travelers over the past decade. That familiarity bred genuine affection.

The Wang Xing case changed the conversation fast. On Chinese social platforms, Thailand went from “must go” to “is it safe?” almost overnight. The issue was not Thailand broadly but the scam center operations along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims were being lured from Thailand into Myanmar. This specific threat was new and alarming to a Chinese audience that had trusted Thailand for years. The 380,000 “how to cancel” posts were not panic from people who had never been to Thailand. Many were from repeat visitors who suddenly felt uncertain.

What Chinese travelers still love about Thailand: the food, the beaches, the Buddhist culture, and the genuine warmth of Thai people. What they now ask about before booking: specific locations relative to the border areas, safety of their chosen destination, and whether their hotel or tour operator can provide reliable support in Chinese. This is a shift from pure enthusiasm to informed interest. For businesses that can answer those questions clearly, it is not a barrier, it is a filter that removes competition.

Opportunities for businesses

The recovery is real. Chinese New Year 2026 showed 13% growth in Chinese arrivals to Thailand versus 2025. Thailand is back at No. 1 in Chinese flight search volume. The travelers coming now are more intentional and better informed. They research on Xiaohongshu, they read reviews, they ask specific questions in communities before booking. That kind of traveler is worth more per visit and more likely to leave useful content after.

For hotels in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai: the priority is being visible where Chinese travelers do their safety and experience research. That means active Xiaohongshu content showing your specific location, your Chinese guest experience, and your support services. Posts that address the “is it safe?” question implicitly, through showing real guests having good experiences, perform better than generic destination content. Get fresh Mandarin reviews on Ctrip and Trip.com. Old reviews from 2022 or 2023 do not reassure post-2025 travelers.

For restaurants, tour operators, and markets: WeChat Pay and Alipay at every payment point remain non-negotiable. Mandarin-speaking staff at key interaction points, reception, tour briefings, and activity check-ins, improves review scores measurably. Encourage guests to post on Xiaohongshu during their stay, not just after, because real-time content from real travelers carries more weight than retrospective reviews.

On Xiaohongshu, Thailand content about food experiences, beach visuals, and temple visits still performs extremely well. The platform has over 50 million posts tagged with Thailand-related content. Being visible in that space puts you in front of Chinese travelers who are actively planning. On Douyin, short-form video of authentic Thai experiences drives the strongest reach. Content that shows real people, real food, real service converts better than polished brand advertising.

Summary table

Metric	Figure	Source
Chinese visitors 2024	6.7 million (largest source market)	TAT
Chinese visitors 2025	~4.47 million (-33% vs 2024)	Nikkei Asia / TAT
TAT 2026 target	6.7 million (+40% vs 2025)	Bangkok Post, TAT
CNY 2026 arrivals	287,000 (Feb 13-22, +13% vs CNY 2025)	TAT
Average spend per Chinese visitor	USD 1,600 per trip	TAT / Thailand Tourism Research
Pre-pandemic peak (2019)	11.1 million Chinese visitors	TAT
Visa requirement	Visa-free since March 2024 (permanent)	Thai government

Reach them on Xiaohongshu and Douyin

Xiaohongshu is where the 2026 version of Chinese travelers decides whether Thailand is on their list. Not just whether to go to Thailand, but which hotel, which area, which specific restaurant, which beach. The platform has over 50 million Thailand-tagged posts, which means the competition for attention is real. What cuts through is specific, practical, honest content. A post about the best pad thai spot near a hotel, a video of a room with a direct sea view, a photo series of a floating market at 6am before the crowds, these are the posts that get saved. Saved posts become bookings.

Douyin creates the initial desire to go. A 30-second video of Phi Phi island at golden hour, or a Thai chef cooking pad kra pao at a street stall, reaches an audience that was not actively searching for Thailand. That is the top of the funnel for Chinese tourism businesses: showing people a version of Thailand they want to be part of. Thai tourism businesses that run regular Douyin content do not just capture travelers who were already planning a Thailand trip. They create new ones.

CTA works with hotels, tour operators, and dining businesses across Thailand to build their Chinese platform presence from the ground up. Xiaohongshu content strategy, Douyin campaign management, WeChat Official Account setup, and KOC partnerships with Chinese travel creators. If you want to position your business to capture the Chinese recovery wave in 2026, talk to us at our services page.

Talk to us

Thai tourism is recovering and the Chinese traveler profile is shifting toward more independent, higher-spending visitors who research carefully before booking. If your business is not visible on the platforms where they research, you are not in the running. Contact us here and let us show you what is possible.

Pedro Wang is the founder of Chinese Tourists Agency, a Shanghai-based agency helping international tourism brands reach Chinese consumers. June 2026.