Mall shooting fallout hits Thailand tourism
Chinese visitor numbers to Thailand have taken a dip in the wake of the shooting in Bangkok earlier this month.
The shooting at the Siam Paragon shopping mall killed three people and another four were injured.
One of the dead was a Chinese tourist.
Since the incident the numbers of tourists from China are down 9.2%.
It fell from 650,000 to 590,000, according to data from Airports of Thailand.
This is despite easing visa rules for Chinese tourists and a number of new or additional flight frequencies recently.
Chutidech Promkaewngarm of Standard Tour Co Ltd, based in Nortern Thailand cited many trip cancelletions from Chinese travelers.
The Northern Thai Hotel Association also said around 30% of bookings were cancelled immediately after the shooting.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts about five million visitors from China by the end of the year.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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