Thousands of flights and hotel bookings were cancelled following news of Wang’s ordeal, according to Thai travel experts and officials.
Atsawin Yangkiratiwon, chief executive of low-cost carrier Thai Lion Air, revealed that 40 chartered flights, from various Chinese cities like Ningbo, Hefei and Jinan, had been cancelled ahead of Chinese New Year – one of the most lucrative travel periods – resulting in a 20 per cent drop.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan, also pulled out of a one-night-only concert that had been scheduled for Feb 22 in Bangkok. “The safety of audience members is of utmost importance,” concert organisers said, citing safety concerns among Chinese travellers.
Online, social media users shared accounts and warnings about the situation in Thailand, reminding others to be constantly vigilant at all times.
“I (don’t) recommend going there right now because the abduction rate has increased,” said a user on Xiaohongshu in a comment which garnered over 4,600 likes and 2,000 comments.
A user on the video-sharing app Douyin shared a video titled “Guidelines to staying alive in 2025”.
Accompanied by ominous-sounding music, the video warned potential tourists against visiting several Southeast Asian countries which included Thailand and also Cambodia and Malaysia. “Please don’t go, whether for company retreats, group trips or personal travel. Remember that,” the Douyin user said.
In a video widely shared on Xiaohongshu and WeChat, Chu Cancan, also known by his handle Teacher Can Can, urged Chinese nationals living and working in Thailand to “speak out”.
Chu, 47, who runs a public relations and event imaging firm in Beijing, has lived in Phuket with his family for almost a year.
“A group of ill-intentioned Chinese abducted a naive person and took him to a scam centre in Myanmar, built by Chinese themselves,” he said in the three-and-a-half-minute viral video, which has been shared over 3,700 times on WeChat.
