After the shooting incident at the Siam Paragon buying mall on October 3 damaged Chinese travelers’ trust in Thailand, hotels and hospitality business owners in Chiang Mai are urging the government to tighten weapon controls to ensure protection for the tourism industry.
Following the Siam Paragon firing, which left three deceased, including one Chinese tourists, and four injured, around 60 000 visitors from the nation have canceled their trips to Thailand. According to statistics from Thailand’s flights, the number of Chinese visitors has decreased by 9.2 % from 650, 000 to 590,000 since the event.
Prior to the crisis, China was Thailand’s largest foreign tourist destination, with about 11 million Chinese visitors in 2019.
However, less than half that number — roughly 5 million — are anticipated to travel to the nation this year, according to tourism officials.
A holiday snaps a picture of her companion at the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint in the Chom Thong neighborhood of Chiang Mai’s Inthanon mountains. Varuth Hirunyatheb is shown in the image.
The majority of Chinese tourists are welcomed in Chiang Mai, so much so that five Chinese airlines have established flights to the state.
They are Air China, Sichuan Airlines, Juneyao Air, and Spring Airlines for China Eastern Airlines.
In order to assess the situation in the northeastern province following the shooting and solicit suggestions on how the government can ensure the safety of visitors from around the world, The Bangkok Post spoke with hotels, hospitality business owners, and hospitality officials in Chiang Mai.
effect of a shopping center shooting
Chutidech: Optimistic but still
The Bangkok Post reported that the death of a Chinese person during the shooting rampage had partially lower tourists’ confidence. Chutidech Promkaewngarm is an assistant manager at Standard Tour Co Ltd, one of the largest tour companies in the northern area.
He claimed that some Chinese tour companies had postponed their trips to Thailand even though not all of their doubts had been canceled.
He claimed that some Chinese internet users declared that they would never travel to a place where possessing firearms is not prohibited, and that on the Chinese social media site Weibo, onlookers at the scene shared their experiences, saying that their first trip to Thailand would also be their past.
According to Mr. Chutidech,” the number of Chinese visitors is now less than 50 % of that in 2019 or before Covid – 19.
In 2019, Standard Tour, he claimed, operated 100 % of Chinese tour groups, with an average of 20,000 participants per month. His company now brings between 8,000 and 9,000 Chinese tourists these each month, with more than 70 % of them coming from families.
Mr. Chutidech claimed that in addition to the firing in Bangkok, other factors may have contributed to a decline in Chinese tourists given that China is currently experiencing financial difficulties of its own.
” Some Chinese companies have not completely recovered.” If Chinese visitors are to return, we need to be on the lookout during the busy time and significant festivals like Loy Krathong, New Year’s Day, and Songkran, he said.
But, Mr. Chutidech expressed optimism and thought the North’s hospitality sector should maintain a positive outlook.
Chiang Mai Airport may be available around-the-clock in November, maximizing its ability to accommodate more airlines.
weapon handles that are tougher
” Publicimage takes hit ,” says Somrit.
The firing was not a common event that would have affected tourists’ trust, according to Somrit Haikum, managing director of Pacific World Chiangmai and sin president of the Chinese Mai Chamber of Commerce, who reported to the Bangkok Post.
However, in order to prevent a repeat, the government has take preventive action, such as intensifying firearms control measures.
In order to lessen its reliance on foreign tourists, Thailand, according to Mr. Somrit, may also improve its popularity and explore new markets in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia.
He asserted that as more tourists then pay attention to things like carbon-neutral travel, tourist accommodations in the northwestern region may also transition to an environmentally friendly design.
The Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce is keeping a close eye on the circumstance. Thailand and the North will reduce tourism profit if the shooting event has a significant, long-term impact. If commerce is negatively impacted, we will have to wait and see for a few months, according to Mr. Somrit.
Paisarn:” Laws enforcement essential.”
The event has alarmed tour operators and business owners whose jobs depend on tourism, according to Paisarn Sukcharoen, chairman of the Northern Thai Hotel Association.
Even though there may not be any indications of long-term harm to the nation’s hospitality, he said that more than 30 % of resort reservations had been postponed right away, and the number of Chinese tourists arriving during high season needs to be reevaluated.
According to Mr. Paisarn, hotel occupancy did undoubtedly decrease between October and November.
In addition to the fact that the number of Chinese tourists has decreased below 2019 levels, tour operators in the South have also revealed that Malay tourists have canceled their travel to Thailand.
” Gun control measures will restore some confidence, but what matters is how [ the government ] puts them into practice.”
The government recently amended the Building Control Act, which enables little hotel companies to list their properties as licensed hotels. Associations of tour operators and business sectors argue that incentives should be provided to increase tourism.
The world’s tourism industry will suffer if tourists’ confidence is never restored, according to Mr. Paisarn, as it is still recovering from the pandemics’ effects on commerce and the economy.
Visa entry is free
Patthara – Anong:” Forecast to high.”
The government’s visa exemption, which is available until February of next year or during the high season, is continuing to draw more visitors from China and Kazakhstan, according to Patthara – anong Na Chiang Mai, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT ) Northern Region. ”
Nevertheless, she claimed that the TAT’s estimate of five million Chinese visitors was accurate.
The data indicates that there may be more than 4.2 million Taiwanese tourists overall in 2023.
A total of 1.8 million Taiwanese tourists spent between 30 000 and 100 000 baht per person during the second quarter, staying in Thailand for 4 to 10 days on average.
According to Ms. Patthara-anong, between January and September, 156,102 Taiwanese tourists flew straight from China, while 62,626 came from Taiwan, 38,457 from Hong Kong, and 37,000 from Malaysia.