Among foreign tourists visiting Chiang Mai, a tourist city in Thailand, Koreans were found to be the most numerous.
According to local media Bangkok Post on the 28th, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported on the 27th that among the entrants at Chiang Mai International Airport from January 1 to 26 this year, 34,954 were Koreans, surpassing the 34,894 Chinese nationals to become the largest group.
TAT projected that the number of Korean tourists visiting Chiang Mai this year would also surpass that of Chinese tourists. Increased direct flights to Chiang Mai and the pleasant winter weather were cited as contributing factors.
Last year, the highest number of foreign tourists to Chiang Mai were Chinese nationals (326,651), followed by Koreans (283,681), Taiwanese (158,552), and Hong Kong citizens (58,237).
Patsarin Suwettarat, head of the TAT Chiang Mai office, noted that the recovery of Chinese tourists has been sluggish since the COVID-19 pandemic, and concerns over safety exacerbated by a recent human trafficking incident involving a Chinese actor have affected the number of individual Chinese tourists. Consequently, the Chiang Mai tourism industry has strengthened efforts to target potential markets like Korea to reduce reliance on Chinese visitors.
Recently, incidents have occurred in Thailand where Chinese tourists have been kidnapped and taken to neighboring countries, including Myanmar and Cambodia. Earlier this month, Chinese actor Wang Xing, 31, went missing in Thailand and was found three days later in Myanmar before returning to China. Last month, Chinese model Yang Zheqi, 25, who went missing in the Thailand-Myanmar border area, was also rescued and returned home on the 17th.
Located about 700 kilometers north of the capital Bangkok, Chiang Mai is known as Thailand's second city. Many Koreans come for 'living for a month' due to the relatively cool weather and low cost of living.