Punched in the face: Plunge in Chinese tourists rattles Thailand

With the robust January-March performance, the national planning agency raised its 2018 growth forecast to 4.2%-4.7% from 3.6%-4.6% seen three months ago.

BANGKOK: Chinese tourist arrivals in Thailand are tumbling, dragging down overall visitor growth in the South-East Asian nation and dimming the outlook for an economy that relies on spending by holidaymakers.

Travellers from China slid 12% in August, the biggest drop in more than a year, keeping the overall pace of visitor growth near a 16-month low. Thai officials are rattled as Chinese visitors are the top source of foreign receipts in an industry that makes up about a fifth of the economy.