Charter flights have been cancelled. Performances have been postponed or postponed. Tour agencies have sent inquiries to travelers who want to change their plans.
Chinese travelers have canceled trips to Thailand, fearing the story of a Chinese actor who was kidnapped there, taken to Myanmar and forced to work in an online scam complex. The incident is a blow to Thailand's tourism sector ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, when many Chinese are expected to visit later this month.
Actor Wang Xing's disappearance this month from the Thai border town of Mae Sot has raised public concerns about security in Thailand. Mr Wang was later rescued from the scammers in Myanmar, but many travelers and event organizers were already panicking.
Hong Kong pop star Eason Chan has canceled a concert scheduled for next month at Bangkok's Impact Arena, with organizers citing “security concerns for Chinese nationals and fans from around the world traveling to Thailand.” Chinese comedian Zhao Benshan, known for his sketches at the Chinese state broadcaster's Lunar New Year gala, has also postponed his performance in Bangkok next month.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, the chief executive of low-cost Thai Lion Air, said on Wednesday that 20 percent of the company's charter flights between China and Thailand – routes to Chinese cities other than the six cities where the airline normally operates – were canceled.
On Weibo, a Chinese social media outlet, people used hashtags trending on the platform to discuss travel refunds and whether Thailand was safe. Travel agents in China said they have received requests from travelers to cancel trips to Thailand or change destinations.
Zhang Zhihong, a sales representative at Baochunguo Travel Agency in the southern city of Shenzhen, which focuses on travel to Southeast Asia, said a quarter of the Thailand trips his company operates have been canceled in the past week. “It was all about the public opinion about this incident. People felt it was dangerous to travel to Thailand and asked for a refund.
The concern could complicate Thailand's efforts to revive its tourism sector after the pandemic. Thailand has eased visa requirements for Chinese travelers and offered discounts through Chinese travel platforms in a campaign the country calls “Nihao Month,” using the Mandarin phrase for “hello.” An estimated 7 million Chinese traveled to Thailand in 2024, making them the largest group of international visitors.
The public outcry over Mr Wang's abduction is increasing pressure on the Thai and Chinese governments to do more to prevent Chinese nationals from being kidnapped and sold to fraudulent syndicates in Myanmar.
“The cancellation of the performances and the public attention may force the Thai authorities to be more serious in the fight against human trafficking and fraud,” said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.
Hundreds of thousands often fall into the trap of people who are lured by high-paying job offers cybercrime operations like this In Myanmar and Cambodia and forced to work in elaborate scams scamming people online. Many of the captives first land in Thailand before crossing the porous border and being smuggled into lawless areas controlled mainly by Chinese organized crime syndicates.
Thai police said Mr Wang traveled to Bangkok because he believed there was a casting opportunity. After she went missing on January 3, her boyfriend filed a complaint with the Chinese police and the Thai embassy. He called for help on social media, and posts shared by Chinese celebrities went viral.
Thai authorities said on January 7 that Mr. Wang had been found and rescued, but did not release details. Criminal gangs often demand large sums of money to free their captives from such associations.
After his release, Mr. Wang said in video interviews with Thai media that he was forced to shave his head and learn to type quickly.
Thai officials used his rescue to convince Chinese travelers to visit Thailand. In one of the videos, Thai police called out to Mr. Wang: “You think Thailand is safe for you. Can you say it in Chinese?”
Mr Wang's swift rescue sparked a wave of appeals for help from the families of other Chinese victims, some of whom had been missing in Southeast Asia for months or years. The log, which details the disappearance of more than 170 other Chinese victims, was widely shared on Weibo.
Thai officials have gone to great lengths to demonstrate that they are working to protect the safety of visitors. Thai police met with Chinese diplomats to discuss the establishment of the center coordinate efforts to trace missing persons and share information. Two Chinese women kidnapped in Thailand have been rescued and repatriated by Chinese authorities, Thai authorities said on Monday.
Thienprasit Chaiyapatra, president of the Thai Hotel Association, said he hoped the Thai government would do more to ease the concerns of Chinese tourists.
“We are concerned that this will have long-term effects,” he said.
Siyi Zhao contributed to the research.