Southeast Asia Loses Ground with Chinese Travelers as Safety Concerns Spike: Exclusive

For destinations, Dragon Trail’s data presents both a breakthrough and a warning: Safety isn’t a nice‑to‑have, it’s “the” dial that actually moves the needle.

Thailand’s safety rating among Chinese travelers is now lower than it was during Covid, according to Dragon Trail’s latest Chinese Traveler Sentiment Report shared exclusively with Skift.

While most regions enjoy steadily improving safety ratings, Southeast Asia stands out for its decline, according to the report.

More than half of Chinese respondents now consider Thailand “unsafe,” up sharply from 38% in spring 2024. Vietnam and Cambodia also register among the lowest safety scores, as fears over organized crime dampen traveler enthusiasm.

“The ‘unsafe’ rating keeps spiking following highly publicized incidents of crime impacting Chinese people in Thailand,” Sienna Parulis‑Cook, Dragon Trail’s director of marketing and communications, told Skift.

Safety reigns supreme in Chinese outbound travel planning. Around 41% of survey participants identified it as their top concern, far outpacing cuisine (23%) and accommodation (21%).

“Sometimes major incidents can throw this off a little – for example, Japan’s rating got a little bit worse in late 2023/early 2024 f