Thailand needs to rejig its tourism strategy to reboot the Chinese market as arrivals from the mainland this year are projected to reach only 26.8% of the 2019 level, says a former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Yuthasak Supasorn, a former TAT governor, said the government should focus on negotiating with China to allow more flights and slots for Thai airlines on a fair and equal basis with Chinese airlines.

For the cool season, from October 2023 until March 2024, flights between Thailand and China have recovered by 24.3%, with 16,330 flights compared with 67,062 flights in 2019.

As of Nov 20, Chinese arrivals tallied 2.98 million this year, recovering by 26.8% of the 2019 level.

Mr Yuthasak said Thailand needs to resolve claims of tourism scams and fraud if it wants to attract more Chinese tourists. The tourism sector should offer high-quality products and services, while every sector should coordinate to rebuild tourism confidence.