Thai crackdown on cheap tours hits visitor numbers

Bangkok

CHINESE hotel bookings to Thailand for the Chinese New Year have tumbled as a crackdown on cheap package tours hits visitor numbers from its biggest source of holiday-makers.

Tourism is increasingly important for Thailand given that its economic growth lags other South-east Asian economies. Between 2012 and 2016, the number of Chinese visitors trebled to nearly a third of all Thailand's tourists by numbers and revenue.

But a crackdown on "zero-dollar" package tours in September sent that into reverse with little sign…