A Drop in European Visitors to Thailand Is a Wake-Up Call
Skift Take
While it focuses on arresting a drop in Chinese arrivals, Thailand should spend equal or more time assessing why European arrivals are declining. It's the higher spending market. The reasons are different, and it's time for Thailand to look internally rather than blame external factors like Brexit, the baht, and a trade war for Europe's shrinkage.
European arrivals are on the decline in Thailand. This is serious — and sad. For what is the point of a kingdom blessed with powdery sand beaches chasing more tourists and getting less revenue in the end?
The math doesn’t make sense. Thailand in the first half of this year welcomed 5.65 million Chinese tourists spending $10 billion (311 billion baht) and 3.61 million European travelers spending $8.5 billion (259 billion baht), figures from Thailand’s tourism ministry show. That means there are fewer Europeans than Chinese, but their spending works out to be $2,358 per person compared with $1,770 per Chinese visitor.
No destination should be against Chinese tourists, and they certainly aren’t to blame for a fall in European arrivals to Thailand. Neither is the baht's appreciation the only cause of the decline, as our story below shows. The other elephant in the room is unsustainable development, not just concerning the environment but a thriving ecosystem of travel businesses, and it's clear Thailand is losing s
