Lunar New Year tourists are flocking to Thailand. The holidaymakers, many from China, are expected to boost tourism, which has been struggling to recover from the pandemic.

Thai tourism authorities held a festive event on Tuesday at a Bangkok shopping mall popular with travelers. Thai Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong attended the event and said that the Lunar New Year is a significant event to deepen the relationship between Thailand and China.

Thai officials say 1.3 million people, mainly from East Asia, are expected to visit during the holiday season. Chinese people are supposed to be the biggest contributors to this tourism rush.

The officials also hope this season will give momentum to revitalizing tourism, a key Thai industry.

But news about abducted foreign travelers is shadowing prospects for recovery.

Earlier this month, a Chinese actor who went missing near Thailand's border with Myanmar was rescued from human traffickers by Thai police. He says he was taken to Myanmar and forced to train as an online scammer.

Thailand's hotel association says there were 12,000 room cancellations as a result of safety concerns due to this. Authorities are boosting efforts to ensure tourist safety by stepping up border security.