Some 10.5 million Chinese visited Thailand last year, and the number is predicted to reach 11.6 million this year. Mr Yutthasak conceded that other Asian countries would also benefit from the trade war, meaning competition to lure Chinese travellers to their countries could be fierce. Apart from luring more Chinese tourists, the TAT will focus more on the short-haul market, especially quality tourists, Mr Yutthasak said. The agency plans to sign deals with large Chinese companies such as China Travel and Alipay of Ant Financial Services Group to cooperate on facilitating Chinese visiting Thailand. The TAT expects at least 2 million Chinese tourists from each of these two companies.

Source: Bangkok Post May 20, 2019 22:07 UTC