Dragon Trail Research’s latest sentiment report for Spring 2024 has revealed a significant shift in safety perceptions regarding Thailand among Chinese travellers, following concerted efforts by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai government to reassure and attract visitors.
“While South-east Asian destinations continue to attract safety fears, Thailand’s score has improved notably, with only 38 per cent rating it as unsafe, down from a high of 51 per cent in August 2023, and 24 per cent said it was safe compared to 18 per cent last year,” stated Janice Meng, market research analyst at Dragon Trail International (DTI) during a Zoom webinar that introduced report findings.
She credited the improvement to the Thai Always Care online communication campaign, rolled out by the TAT in January 2024, to reassure foreign visitors with ongoing efforts to raise safety standards in travel.
Thai safety perceptions among Chinese travellers suffered following a fatal shooting incident at popular shopping mall Siam Paragon in October 2023, as well as documentaries showcasing human trafficking scams in South-east Asia.
Sienna Parulis-Cook, director of marketing and communications at DTI, emphasised the impact of strategic communication campaigns on safety perceptions.
“Last year, the TAT regularly published statements about safety on its Weibo and WeChat channels, which received a lot of attention at the time,” she shared.
Meng further elaborated on the broader trend observed in the report, stating that over the past year, most destinations surveyed have seen improved safety ratings among Chinese travellers.
Among 20 destinations assessed, 10 have improved safety ratings – barring Italy and Japan, the latter likely impacted by the Chinese ban on Japanese seafood post-Fukushima nuclear waste water release incident.
“This could also explain softening interest in North-east Asia, with Japan previously the top choice for Chinese travellers in this region,” reflected Meng.
Key destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore maintain their status as the safest choices, followed by Switzerland, the UK, France, Australia, and Canada. The US has also witnessed notable safety perception improvements post-pandemic.
