China ousts Japan in outbound market

Forward bookings by outbound tourists for the upcoming high season remain strongly supported by Chinese tour packages, attributed to lower costs of 30-50% compared with trips to Japan, which recorded a decline for the first time in June.

- NARUMON KASEMSUK

The number of Thais visiting Japan in June dropped by 4.6% year-on-year, marking the first monthly decline this year, though the cumulative figure for the first half still rose by 10.1% to 680,500.

Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, said outbound traffic to Japan, which has yet to reach the high season, is expected to dip further due to concerns over an earthquake prophecy.

He said Thai holidaymakers have begun booking outbound tour packages for the high season in the final quarter.

This year, Harbin in northeast China has emerged as a popular destination, with Thai AirAsia announcing chartered flights for the winter.

Tour operators were quick to reserve seats and bundle them into tour packages, pricing them at around 38,000-42,000 baht to capture surging demand, as seen last year.