Thai tourism hit by border conflict, hotel bookings cancelled across nine provinces
BANGKOK – The ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has begun to significantly impact Thailand's tourism sector, leading to a wave of hotel room cancellations across nine major provinces.
The Thai Hotels Association (THA) has revealed that Chiang Mai is the worst-hit region, with Thai tourists accounting for the majority of cancellations, followed by Asian visitors.
The primary factor influencing these cancellations is the impact on travel insurance policies.
Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), revealed on Thursday that the preliminary findings of a survey conducted among THA member hotels regarding the unrest.
Since 24th July 2025, 24 hotels across nine provinces have reported a total of 5,266 room cancellations. This figure includes cancellations due to all causes, as well as those directly attributable to the Thai-Cambodian border situation.
The survey indicates that Thai tourists account for the highest number of cancellations, with Asian tourists following closely behind.
When breaking down the impact by province, Chiang Mai has experienced the most significant number of cancellations, with 2,089 rooms affected.
Bangkok follows with 1,863 cancellations, then Chonburi (668 rooms), Phuket (566 rooms), Nakhon Ratchasima (408 rooms), Phang Nga (140 rooms), Surat Thani (133 rooms), Rayong (87 rooms), and Nong Khai (12 rooms).
While new bookings since 24th July 2025 stand at 6,835 room nights – a figure higher than the cancellations – Thienprasit noted that the pace of new bookings is clearly slowing.
Provinces bordering Cambodia are experiencing more severe impacts than other regions. The THA expresses hope for a swift resolution to the unrest to mitigate further adverse effects on tourism.
A crucial factor accelerating these cancellations is the issuance of travel advisories by some countries to their citizens. Such advisories not only create a psychological impact on travellers but also directly affect travel insurance policies, which are a key requirement for certain tourist groups.
Other existing safety concerns, such as the abduction of Chinese tourists linked to scammer networks in specific areas of the ASEAN region, have not yet been clearly communicated.
This, coupled with the emerging border conflict, further erodes travel confidence in the region, particularly among Chinese tourists who remain wary about safety.
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