JOHOR BARU: The political unrest in Thailand has taken a toll on tourist arrivals here from China for the year-end "golden holiday" season.

Many have cancelled their tours at the last minute as they had booked a package that included Thailand and Singapore.

According to local travel agents, the three countries are a must for Chinese tourists when they tour Southeast Asia, adding that most had postponed their visits.

They may visit the region when the situation in Thailand improved.

Malaysia receives more than 100,000 Chinese tourists every month.
Malaysia Chinese Tourism Association president Chay Ng said members who handled Chinese tourists had been informed about the cancellation of tours.

He said those who thought that Chinese tourists would stay longer in Malaysia because of the trouble in Thailand were mistaken.

"Thailand is an integral part of their tour package. If their tour to Thailand is cancelled, they will cancel the whole tour or postpone it indefinitely as they want to get the most value out of their packages."

The most popular package among the Chinese is the eight-day-six-night tour, with three nights in Thailand, two in Malaysia and one in Singapore.

Hotels which handled Chinese tourists have also been badly affected by their absence.

The spokesman of a three-star hotel here said the hotel, which handled 10 Chinese tour groups a week, had seen daily cancellations recently.

"Our business from Chinese tourists is down by half. We have to rely on other tourists to make up the losses."

Local tour operators believe bookings from Chinese tour agents will only return to normal when the situation in Thailand eases.

On a positive note, more Singaporeans are expected here as the Mumbai bombings, political uncertainty in Thailand and economic slowdown force them to stay closer to home.

"Malaysia is the nearest and cheapest choice. We will certainly have to depend on them."

An average of nine million Singaporeans visited the country every year.