Thai crackdown on budget tours hits Chinese New Year


Boat drivers wait for tourists at a pier at Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand, January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Chinese hotel bookings to Thailand for the Lunar New Year have tumbled as a crackdown on cheap package tours hits visitor numbers from its biggest source of holiday-makers.

Tourism is increasingly important for Thailand given that its economic growth lags other Southeast Asian economies. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of Chinese visitors trebled to nearly a third of all Thailand's tourists by numbers and revenue.

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