Thomas Cook China Launches New Strategy Amid Huge Chinese Tourist Declines in Thailand
Photo Credit: An empty beach like this one in Phuket in Thailand have become all too common and tourism numbers have dropped off. Visual Hunt / J Hecking
Skift Take
Japan turned out to be the lifeboat for Thomas Cook China when Thailand turned disastrous, as the tour operator appears to be sailing away blithely with four new initiatives to scale up its China market.
A steep decline in Chinese arrivals to Thailand has roiled Thomas Cook China’s aim of taking 200,000 clients on holiday by the second year of operation in the mainland. But what it loses in Thailand is made up for by gains in Japan that are more than just about the number of tourists.
The tour operator is also sticking to its end goal of having a China market that’s as big as Europe, marching on with four new initiatives that include launching its own integrated technology system and developing own brand hotels throughout the mainland. Thomas Cook China is a joint venture between the Thomas Cook Group and the Chinese conglomerate Fosun.
Thomas Cook China, of course, isn’t alone in suffering losses to Thailand due to a backlash from Chinese tourists over the Phuket boat tragedy in July and a cooling China economy. Chinese arrivals in Thailand dropped 20 percent in October, the fourth consecutive drop since July, according to the
