Thai Tourism: Is the Downward Trend Here to Stay? [S7.E74]

Greg and Ed discuss the recent troubling decrease in overall Thai tourism numbers. In general, since COVID, the Thai tourism industry has bounced back quite well, and projections were that 2025 numbers would exceed the pre-COVID peak of 39 million visitors. However, starting at the end of last year, numbers didn’t meet expectations, and since then the dip has become more severe.

So what happened? The guys cycle through several different factors. First, the earthquake at the end of March certainly didn’t help matters, with many tourists canceling their trips for the Thai New Year in April. Second, and perhaps more concerning, several security incidents affecting Chinese tourists has led to a bit of a backlash in the largest source of tourists to Thailand. In particular, a Chinese celebrity was kidnapped and held for ransom, sparking fears that Thailand was not safe. Further, numerous stories of Burmese and Cambodian scam call centers that press foreigners into service have magnified the problem.

Ed notes that while overall numbers have dipped, the numbers from most Western countries have risen in accord with projections. Hence, the problem is limited to Asian tourists. Greg points out that the ‘White Lotus Effect’ might be the kind of thing that sparks interest in Westerners, but not in Asians, who may already feel familiar with a tropical climate and many aspects of Thai culture. 

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