Chinese Tourists Avoid Thailand After Actor’s Kidnapping
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A portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 22, 2024. Photo: Bloomberg
More Chinese travelers are avoiding Thailand after the recent kidnapping of a Chinese actor raised safety concerns about the country.
On Jan. 5, a social media post revealed that Wang Xing, a minor Chinese actor, went missing in a northwestern Thai town near the Myanmar border after traveling to Thailand for a casting session. He was forcibly taken across a river into Myanmar, where he was coerced into learning scamming techniques. Wang was rescued on Jan. 7 in a joint operation by Thai and Myanmar authorities, who identified him as a victim of human trafficking.
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- Safety concerns arose among Chinese travelers following the kidnapping of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand, resulting in increased cancellations and reduced flight bookings.
- Affected travel plans and events include flight inquiries, cancellations, and concert postponements, as seen with Eason Chan's concert cancellation due to safety fears.
- Although Thailand's popularity among Chinese tourists remains high, recent events have prompted some tourists to switch destinations or adopt a cautious approach when planning trips.
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Who’s Who
- Flight Master
- Flight Master provided flight data indicating that from January 7 to 12, the daily average number of flights between China and Thailand was 293, with 26 daily cancellations. This compares to 297 flights and 22 cancellations on January 6. Additionally, during the Lunar New Year travel season, flights between China and Thailand are expected to reach 12,841, recovering to 74.8% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
- Xiaohongshu
- Xiaohongshu is a Chinese social media platform where users can share lifestyle content and reviews. In the context of the article, it is mentioned as a platform where posts under the hashtag "cancel tickets for flights to Thailand with a refund" exceeded 10,000. This indicates its role in facilitating discussions and influencing travel decisions among Chinese users following safety concerns in Thailand.
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What Happened When
- Jan. 5, 2025：
- Wang Xing went missing in Thailand.
- Jan. 6, 2025：
- Daily average flights between China and Thailand were 297 with 22 cancellations.
- Jan. 7, 2025：
- Wang Xing was rescued in a joint Thai and Myanmar operation.
- Jan. 7, 2025 to Jan. 12, 2025：
- Daily average flights between China and Thailand were 293 with 26 cancellations.
- Jan. 10, 2025：
- Eason Chan cancelled his Bangkok concert scheduled for Feb. 22, 2025.
- By Jan. 13, 2025：
- Posts on Xiaohongshu under '#cancel tickets for flights to Thailand with a refund' exceeded 10,000.
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