"Rather than going to Korea, I'll go to China or Japan"... 'Ban Korea' Spreading in Thailand

'Ban Korea' Hashtag Trending on Local SNS
Spread of Stories About Entry Denial via K-ETA

According to a recent report by Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a movement to boycott travel to Korea is spreading in Thailand. Thai travelers are showing a tendency to choose trips to China and Japan instead of Korea.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 15th, the media reported that the hashtag 'Ban Korea' is trending on Thai social networking services (SNS). In fact, the number of Thai tourists visiting Korea has noticeably decreased. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, 119,000 Thais visited Korea from January to April this year, a 21% decrease compared to the same period last year. The gap is even larger compared to the pre-COVID-19 period in 2019, when 572,000 Thais visited during the same timeframe.

The cause is attributed to the 'K-ETA' system. Introduced in September 2021, K-ETA requires nationals from visa-free countries to input their information on a website before departure and obtain entry approval to Korea. Thailand is known as the country with the highest number of illegal residents in Korea. Due to Korea's strict entry screening, many Thais have been denied entry without valid reasons, and as a result, they have shared experiences of not receiving proper refunds for airline and hotel payments, which has fueled anti-Korean sentiment.

Foreign tourists visiting Gyeongbokgung Palace Photo by Yonhap News

Thai tourists are choosing China and Japan over Korea. The lower cost of travel compared to Korea has also played a significant role. As of early this month, travel expenses to China (approximately 860,000 KRW) were found to be cheaper than to Korea (approximately 1,170,000 KRW).

The Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) estimated that after China waived entry visas on March 1 this year, 1.2 million Thais would visit China within the year. This is nearly double the 693,818 visitors in 2019. Thai Airways has increased flights to China from 7 to 11 per week to meet the rising demand.

The TTAA chairman said, "Before the boycott movement began, Korea was one of the top three popular travel destinations in Thailand, but those days are over," adding, "It will take at least 1 to 2 years to regain the trust of Thai tourists."