Thailand Eyes Chinese Tourists as Japan Tension Affects Holiday Travel

December 23, 2025 | 03:11 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thailand is eyeing Chinese tourists amid recent political tensions between China and Japan. Tourism operators in Thailand are urging their government to take a more aggressive approach given the competition with other countries in the Asia Pacific region.

Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said that bookings from China have been growing since the relations with Japan deteriorated last month.

Chinese airlines have allowed passengers who had previously booked trips to Japan to switch to other destinations, and some of them opt for Thailand. The daily arrival of Chinese nationals in Thailand has reached 14,000-15,000, up from 6,000-7,000 recorded a few months ago, he said, as reported by Bangkok Post.

Thailand-Cambodia Tensions

Amid opportunities from China, the Thai tourism industry is facing challenges due to negative media coverage about border clashes with Cambodia. Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, said that the tensions have tarnished the country's tourism reputation.

"It's difficult to say, 'Please come to Thailand, it's a very safe country,' while the nation is perceived as being in the middle of a conflict," Mr. Barnett said.

The conflict has affected many cities in Thailand, even Phuket, which is far from the border. Visitors choose to avoid war-torn countries. Barnett urged the government to quickly resolve the conflict and restore peace at the border as soon as possible.

Otherwise, other destinations will attract more Chinese tourists than Thailand, including Vietnam, which offers lower travel costs, newer hotels, and shorter travel distances.

Chinese tourists have canceled hundreds of thousands of trips to Japan since November, after their country issued a travel advisory against the Land of the Rising Sun.

This dispute followed a statement by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. Arrivals from China slowed to 3 percent of the total in November, while 1,900 flights or more than 40 percent of the total flights connecting the two countries were canceled in December.

Read: Thailand, Cambodia To Discuss Truce Amid Fierce Fighting

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