Thailand Urges China to Strengthen Tourism Ties Amid Economic Slowdown

Travel sector eyes stronger connectivity PUBLISHED : 16 Jul 2026 at 05:49 NEWSPAPER SECTION: Business WRITER: Narumon Kasemsuk With Chinese economic growth at a three-year low in the second quarter, the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) has urged the government to discuss agreements with Beijing to strengthen affordable connectivity and bilateral tourism cooperation during this week's official visit. Chinese economic growth tallied 4.3% in the second quarter, missing the estimate of 4.5% and marking the slowest expansion since the fourth quarter of 2022. Adith Chairattananon, honorary secretary-general of Atta, said during Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's visit to China this week that tourism operators would like the government to use the opportunity to forge strategic partnerships with secondary cities and attract more direct flights to Thailand. As domestic consumption in China remains weak, he said promotional airfares and more convenient direct flights would help sustain demand amid unfavourable economic conditions. With travel to Thailand relatively cheaper than other nations, discounts would encourage Chinese travellers to choose the country over other destinations, said Mr Adith. Thailand could position itself as a regional hub, helping China connect more easily with other parts of Southeast Asia while offering an alternative route to Europe to mitigate the risk of flight disruptions should incidents occur in the Middle East, as happened in the first quarter, he noted. To pave the way for long-term tourism ties, the sector also suggested renewing the Thailand-China Bilateral Tourism Agreement, thereby elevating marketing partnerships to strategic cooperation. If possible, the two countries should establish a joint working committee to tackle key issues or emergencies involving their travellers, including safety and security, tourism standards, and tourism data exchanges, said Mr Adith. The government should also initiate efforts to expedite the Asean-China tourism strategy by developing a joint marketing plan to offer multi-country tourism routes, he said. This cooperation would pave the way for linking transport and digital payment systems, as well as tourism facilitation that would benefit all countries. "This state visit to China should build long-term cooperation rather than simply pursue tourist arrivals or short-term gains, leveraging air connectivity, establishing a tourism cooperation framework, and creating a common market between China and Asean," said Mr Adith.