Tour firm seeks to restore China market

Feedback received since Tuniu launched 'Niu tours', including package tours to Thailand, has been overwhelming, writes Narumon Kasemsuk

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With Chinese arrivals plummeting by 32.7% in the first five months, a major Chinese travel agency has proposed strategies to weather the crisis of confidence in Thailand and China's economic slowdown, while emphasising that casinos may not be the right solution to restore this market.

Jennifer Fan, product director at Nasdaq-listed Tuniu Corporation, said prior to the pandemic, the number of Chinese tourists booking trips to Thailand via Tuniu tallied over 100,000 a year, but the market has plunged to 20,000, mainly due to eroded confidence in Thailand's safety.

Another factor contributing to the market's decrease is the number of flights between Thailand and China, which had a more extensive network prior to the kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing, particularly to Chiang Mai and Phuket, but the seat capacity has declined significantly.

The situation is in stark contrast compared with Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, which offer more flight options to the Chinese market and have experienced growth this year.

In the first four months, Singapore and Malaysia gained 1.30 million and 1.44 million Chinese tourists, surging 1.4% and 37.8%, respectively, while Vietnam recorded the strongest rate of growth — 156% to 1.9 million — according to the national tourism organisations of Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Thailand's China market plunged by 32.7% during the period January to May 2025 compared to the corresponding period last year, securing 1.95 million tourists, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

Based on the company's 19 years in conducting outbound tour packages, Ms Fan said Thailand has been one of the most important destinations for Tuniu.

She believes Thailand still has the potential to rebound, if there are appropriate strategies to cope with the changing behaviour of Chinese travellers and Thailand can offer tourism products that really match different levels of purchasing power.