TAT Advances Trusted Thailand Strategy Through China Tourism Talks

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is progressing its Trusted Thailand and Partnership 360 strategy through discussions with tourism stakeholders from the People’s Republic of China. The meetings were held during TAT’s visit to Shanghai on 10 March 2026, alongside the Amazing Thailand Mega Trade Meet in China 2026.

Engagement with Chinese tourism partners

The discussions were led by TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool, along with senior officials, and included Zhong Xiaomin, Director of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism. Representatives from airlines such as China Eastern Airlines, Spring Airlines and Juneyao Air, as well as online travel platforms and operators including Trip.com, Meituan, Tuniu, Tongcheng Travel, Fliggy, China Travel Service, JOYU Group, Shandong Ocean International Travel, Shanghai Huantai International Travel and Shanghai Jinjiang Tour, took part.

The meetings focused on strengthening Thailand’s positioning as a reliable destination for Chinese travellers. As part of this approach, TAT is working on areas such as safety, service standards and overall visitor experience. More than 7,400 tourism establishments across Thailand have been recognised under the Trusted Thailand initiative.

Focus on connectivity and joint marketing

The discussions also covered ways to expand tourism cooperation between the two countries. Key areas included increasing flight frequencies, exploring new routes and implementing joint marketing initiatives using data insights into traveller behaviour.

Both sides also explored digital engagement strategies, including collaborations with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and key opinion consumers (KOCs) on Chinese platforms to support travel awareness. In addition, there was a focus on developing experience-based tourism offerings and promoting destinations beyond major cities to support broader distribution of tourism activity.

TAT noted that collaboration with Chinese partners remains central to maintaining travel demand and supporting balanced growth between the two markets, while continuing to develop tourism in line with evolving traveller preferences.