Thailand’s ambitious goal of attracting as many as 9 million tourists from China this year looks in doubt, after the kidnapping of a Chinese actor started driving mainland visitors to the safety of Japan and Singapore.
Bloomberg
Flight cancellations to the country that brands itself as the “Land of Smiles” surged 94% last month, according to Bloomberg Intelligence research, as more Chinese opted instead to take their families to the ski fields and hot springs of Japan during Lunar New Year. Trips to Thailand in the first two weeks of February were still lagging behind last year’s levels, the note showed.
News of Chinese actor Wang Xing’s kidnapping to Myanmar through Thailand and his subsequent rescue prompted a wave of Lunar New Year trip cancellations by mainland travelers. Tourism-reliant Thailand has since cracked down on scammers and criminal rings that use the country as a transit hub to traffic unwitting victims to work in cyber-scam centers. But so far it’s done little to ease travelers’ fears
“Safety concerns do have enough weight with Chinese tourists to make them think twice about travel to Thailand,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Eric Zhu said. “Uptake of bad news has been far higher than steps it’s taken to boost safety, which will make its reputation repair a likely uphill battle.”
Flight bookings from China to Japan have, meanwhile, more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier, thanks also to the weaker yen and airfares as low as $150 from Shanghai to Tokyo. That helped Japan overtake Thailand as the top overseas destination for Chinese holidaymakers during the eight-day holiday this year. Visa-free entries to Singapore and Malaysia have also drawn Chinese tourists away from Thailand.
Japan alone attracted a record 980,000 Chinese tourists last month — more than double from last year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. Meanwhile, Thailand said nearly 711,000 Chinese had visited this year through Feb. 2.
Bangkok has shut power to operators of illicit businesses in Myanmar, while working with its neighbor to clamp down on the scam centers, from where more than 1,000 foreign workers, including several hundred Chinese, were recently freed.
Whether the crackdowns will help win back more Chinese tourists, the top source of foreign receipts in Thailand’s tourism industry, remains to be seen. Tourism, which accounts for about 12% of the country’s gross domestic product and a fifth of total employment, is forecast to bring in an estimated $55 billion this year.
It’s unlikely that Thailand will be able to hit the top range of its target for Chinese visitors, and will struggle to surpass the 8.8 million it proposes at the lower end if it doesn’t swiftly address safety concerns of Chinese tourists by the end of this quarter, Zhu wrote in the note. If the problem persists through 2025, Thailand may struggle to attract more than 7.5 million Chinese arrivals, he said.
There are some signs that concerns are abating, but it’s still too early to call a turnaround in sentiment. While bookings from China to Thailand for March are still down about 10% week-on-week, flight demand for April and May are showing growth of more than 3%, according to marketing firm China Trading Desk, which tracks the mainland travel market.
“The fear over travel to Thailand has ebbed,” said China Trading Desk Chief Executive Officer Subramania Bhatt. “Still, Thailand is way off compared to 2019, while both Malaysia and Singapore have a very strong recovery of Chinese visitors.”
Beyond shutting down scam operations, Thailand’s government and industry need to do more to develop tourism beyond the popular destinations such as capital Bangkok, the beaches of Phuket and the jungles of Chiang Mai, said Thai Hotel Association President Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun.
“Even Thai people love to go to Japan instead of going to Phuket domestically,” he said. “We have lost good quality travelers favoring the currency exchange. We need to do more, offer more destinations to attract visitors.”
Mytheresa has teamed up with Bemelmans Bar, located within The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, to launch a first-of-its-kind pop-up experience in Aspen.
Mytheresa launches pop-up experience in Aspen with Bemelmans Bar. – Mytheresa
Running until March 2, Bemelmans Bar steps beyond the Upper East Side to bring its legendary ambiance, signature martinis, and live music to the heart of downtown Aspen, with a distinctive Mytheresa twist.
Guests will find an ice bar serving Champagne and jewels, and a playful “Press for Fashion” button for stylish offerings served tableside, while the coat check will allow guests to explore Mytheresa’s curated collection of luxury outerwear.
Likewise, Bemelmans’ renowned red-jacketed bartenders will serve classic cocktails on silver trays, including tributes to cultural icons like Jackie O.
Completing the space is custom artwork by New York artist Xavier Donnelly, whose pieces draw inspiration from Ludwig Bemelmans’ original murals at the New York bar, infused with whimsical après-ski and alpine fashion vignettes.
“This collaboration brings Mytheresa’s style to Aspen in the sophisticated setting of Bemelmans Bar offering the ultimate winter experience for those who appreciate the perfect martini alongside a finely curated edit of fashion and exquisite jewelry,” said Heather Kaminetsky, president of Mytheresa, North America.
Marlene Poynder, managing director of The Carlyle, added: “Bemelmans Bar has been a defining part of New York’s cultural and social fabric for almost a century. To bring its legacy to Aspen for the first time is a meaningful moment, made possible through our partnership with Mytheresa—a brand that shares our commitment to artistry and exceptional experiences.”
Julien Leclerq, 40, was already a member of the board of directors and has “a 20-year experience at Decathlon.” He was category manager in Spain, ran a store in Belgium, and has launched “Decathlon initiatives in Singapore,” said Decathlon, which is owned by French family Mulliez.
“He also took charge of the Genairgy investment fund and contributed to the creation of Decathlon Travel,” a subsidiary specialised in sports travel, according to the firm.
The group also stated that Julien Leclerq was chosen following a “comprehensive selection process by the shareholders, which lasted several months,” and will succeed Fabien Derville, who was appointed chairman in 2018.
In January 2022, Decathlon named as CEO Barbara Martin Coppola, a Franco-Spanish executive formerly with Ikea, Google and YouTube. Martin Coppola has deployed a strategic plan aimed at positioning Decathlon no longer just as a sport retailer, but as a “sporting brand.”
Decathlon was founded in 1975 by Michel Leclercq, now 85, a cousin of Auchan founder Gérard Mulliez. The sport retailer’s board of directors had previously been chaired by another of Michel’s sons, Mathieu, until Derville took office in 2018.
Decathlon is regularly ranked among France’s favourite retailers, but in early January it was accused by investigative journalism NGO Disclose and the Cash Investigation programme by TV channel France 2 of benefiting from the forced labour of Uighurs in China.
The French leader in sporting goods, a major multinational retailer with 100,000 employees and 1,700 stores in over 70 countries, reacted by “firmly condemning all forms of forced labour.”
Cash Investigation was also interested in the legal status of the Association Familiale Mulliez (AFM), a body that controls retailers such as Leroy Merlin, Kiabi, Flunch, Boulanger and Auchan, and comprises nearly 900 members of the Mulliez family.
The AFM “does not – despite its name – have the legal status of association,” it told the AFP agency, and doesn’t even have any “legal capacity.”
Fashion footwear destination Schuh is upping its sustainability stance by partnering with conscious creative agency and waste design studio Are You Mad to transform its post-consumer waste materials.
Donated footwear, returns bags and pallet wrap are being transformed “into usable and creative objects for Schuh’s retail spaces”. These includecreating unique donation bins for the retailers’ Sell Your Soles footwear takeback initiative, and one-of-a-kind shoe risers for product displays.
At the heart of the project “is a collective of makers, creatives and designers” curated by Schuh and Are You Mad, “each bringing a unique approach to transforming Schuh’s waste into functional and beautiful objects, each of which showcasing ingenuity, skill and passion”. Included are some of the UK’s “most exciting names” in sustainable design, Helen Kirkum, Charlie Boyden and Weez & Merl, who have repurposed over 600 pre-loved shoes, pallet wrap and returns bags “into beautiful, functional pieces” for selected stores.
Greg Traill, head of Brand Partnerships at Schuh, added: “The footwear industry faces significant challenges when it comes to waste, but we’re committed to being transparent and proactive on our journey to becoming a more conscious retailer.
“We’re on a mission to inspire our customers to make more responsible choices, and this partnership with Are You Mad is a valuable opportunity for us to raise awareness of the importance of re-using. Our goal is to give as much footwear as possible a second life.”
James Suckling, co-founder of Are You Mad, added: “When Schuh approached us to help bring their Sell Your Soles initiative to life, what stood out was their honesty about the challenges of footwear recycling. It’s a complex process, but together, we’re creating a solution that gets people excited about recycling their old shoes, and rethinking the journey of their clothing, footwear, and waste. This is just the beginning of our partnership, and we’re excited to continue working with Schuh in 2025 and beyond.”
The Schuh x Are You Mad donations bins and risers have been introduced to stores in the UK and Ireland including London, Bristol, Manchester, Metro, Belfast, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Glasgow.
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