Blockbusting Chinese movie may help boost visitors to Thailand

The success of Lost in Thailand, a low-budget Chinese comedy that has become mainland China's most successful domestic film, is raising hopes that it will help attract a record number of tourists to the nation in which it is set.

More than 30 million people have seen the film, about the travels of two rival businessmen and a pancake-maker through Thailand, since its debut on December 12, according to Xinhua.

China overtook Malaysia last year as Thailand's biggest source of overseas tourists, and the film's popularity could help increase total arrivals by 10 per cent this year, according to the Association of Thai Travel Agents.

"The movie is helping boost sentiment and is increasing people's desire to visit," said association president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn. "The global economic situation isn't a big issue, as we've seen the tourism industry grow a lot despite the slowdown. People who love travelling continue to do it anyway."

Thailand is luring Chinese tourists away from Japan after a territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands between Asia's biggest economies led to a travel boycott last year. Hotel rates in Bangkok also remain about half those in Singapore and Hong Kong, while the rise of the Thai currency, the baht, in the past year has been overshadowed by bigger increases in the value of the Singapore dollar and Philippine peso.

"Foreign tourists are flocking back to Thailand," said Sittidath Prasertrungruang, an analyst at Krungsri Securities. "The Thai tourism industry is very resilient, with diversified sources of travellers from China and India to Russia," he said.