Thailand Cuts Ties with Korea Over Entry Ban... "The Good Old Days as a Popular Travel Destination Are Over"

"South Korea Needs at Least 1-2 Years to Regain Trust"
Anti-Korean Sentiment Likely Influenced by Controversy Over Entry Ban

As the number of Thai tourists visiting Korea sharply declined this year, an analysis suggests that it will take a considerable amount of time for Thai tourists to recover their visits to Korea.

According to the Bangkok Post on the 20th, Chalern Wangananon, president of the Thailand Travel Agents Association (TTAA), predicted, "It will take at least 1 to 2 years for Korea to regain the trust of Thai tourists."

He explained that as news of the continued denial of entry for Thais to Korea spreads, tourists are turning to other destinations to avoid the electronic travel authorization (K-ETA) and strict entry regulations.

Chalern said, "Before the boycott movement against traveling to Korea arose, Korea was one of the top three popular travel destinations in Thailand, but those days are over."

Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 departure hall is bustling with travelers and others.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Initially, Korea was once considered the most popular travel destination among Thais due to the influence of K-pop, dramas, and movies. However, Chalern explained that recently Thais have been heading to Vietnam and China instead of Korea. Both countries offer a variety of tourism products and allow visa-free entry, with no reports of tourist expulsions.

Chalern stated, "To restore trust in Korean tourism, travel agencies in Thailand and Korea need to cooperate more closely to improve sentiments and introduce new attractions." However, he added, "The downturn in overseas tourism is also influenced by economic recessions such as stock market and economic growth slowdowns."

He predicted that in the second half of the year, many will seek short-distance travel destinations to reduce costs, but the most preferred destination for Thai tourists will be Japan due to the weak yen.

Bangkok, Thailand. [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Thai tourists visiting Korea from January to April this year was 119,000, a 21.1% decrease compared to the same period last year. This contrasts sharply with the 86.9% surge in foreign tourists during the same period.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand was the top Southeast Asian country for tourists visiting Korea, but it fell to third place behind Vietnam and the Philippines. While tourists from major countries visiting Korea increased simultaneously, only Thailand saw a decrease, which appears to be due to last year's controversy over 'entry denial' and the resulting anti-Korean sentiment.

Last year, among Thai netizens, posts on social networking services (SNS) sharing experiences of unfairly being denied entry to Korea or undergoing strict inspections sparked controversy. Locally, claims that Korea discriminates against or unfairly treats Thais continued, and eventually, the hashtag #KoreaTravelBan topped the trends on Thailand's X (formerly Twitter).

However, there is also an analysis that the increase in cases of Thai nationals being denied entry is related to the issue of illegal stay. It is known that about 140,000 Thais are illegally residing in Korea. In March last year, the Incheon Immigration Office apprehended 83 illegal foreign residents at a concert by the famous Thai singer Arm Chutima held at a club in Incheon. Consequently, calls for strengthening crackdowns on illegal residents are also emerging.