"Afraid of Being Kidnapped" Thailand Faces Travel Cancellations Amid Famous Actor Kidnapping Case

Actor Wang Xing Released After Being Kidnapped by Criminal Organization
Thai Travel Industry Expects Significant Drop in Chinese Tourists

Recently, an incident occurred where a famous Chinese actor was kidnapped by a human trafficking organization in Thailand and later returned, leading to an increase in cases of travelers canceling trips to Thailand.

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Actor Wang Xing, who appeared in the movie ‘Ip Man 3’ and the drama ‘Maegoejeokgosa’ (The Story of the Rose), went missing after arriving in Thailand for a drama casting offer near the border area between Thailand and Myanmar.

Three days later, Wang Xing was released in a haggard state with a shaved head. He told Thai police that he had been kidnapped by a Chinese criminal organization and was trained in fraud techniques targeting Chinese people.

Myeawadi, where Wang Xing was taken, is notorious as a base for Chinese and other criminal organizations involved in voice phishing and online scams. Their method involves luring or kidnapping people through job advertisements and confining them in large-scale scam operations such as call centers, forcing them to participate in crimes.

On the 15th (local time), the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) quoted Morakot Kuldilok, chairman of the Eastern Branch of the Thailand Hotel Association, saying that cancellations are mainly occurring at 4- to 5-star hotels.

Chinese actor Wang Xing (right), who was kidnapped by a criminal organization in Thailand and later released, is holding a press conference with the National Police. Photo by Yonhap News

Chairman Kuldilok added, “If swift measures are not taken, I am concerned that the cancellation impact will spread,” and “The effect will deepen throughout this year.”

Chinese tourists make up the largest proportion of foreign visitors to Thailand. According to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 35.5 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year, with 6.73 million being Chinese, the largest group.

The local media Bangkok Post reported that the Thai travel industry expects a 10 to 20% decrease in Chinese tourists visiting Thailand during the Lunar New Year holiday due to the Wang Xing kidnapping incident.

Various Chinese social networking services (SNS) have been flooded with questions such as “Is Chiang Mai, a famous tourist destination in Thailand, safe?” and “How can I get a refund if I want to cancel my trip to Thailand?” according to the media.

The manager of Ctrip’s offline store in Shanghai, China’s largest online travel agency, also revealed that reservations to Thailand have decreased due to the Wang Xing kidnapping incident.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised the travel advisory for the Myeawadi area from Level 3 (Departure Recommendation) to Level 4 (Travel Ban) at the end of last year as crimes targeting Koreans, such as employment fraud, increased.

As the repercussions spread, Thai Prime Minister Pattontan Chinnawat personally ordered a swift investigation to minimize damage to Thailand’s tourism industry. The Tourism Authority of Thailand posted on its Weibo account, a Chinese SNS, stating, “We will provide convenience and protection to those visiting Thailand.”

It was also revealed that Thai authorities requested the rescued Wang Xing at a press conference to say that he would travel to Thailand again.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.