Charter flights have been cancelled. Performances have been canceled or postponed. Travel agencies have sent requests from travelers who want to change their plans.

Chinese travelers are abandoning trips to Thailand, spooked by a story about a Chinese actor who was kidnapped there, taken to Myanmar and forced to work in an online scam complex. The incident is a blow to Thailand’s tourism sector ahead of the Lunar New Year peak at the end of this month, when many Chinese were expected to visit.

The disappearance of actor Wang Xing from the Thai border town of Mae Sot this month has fueled public concern about security in Thailand. Mr. Wang was later rescued from the scam in Myanmar, but many travelers and event organizers were already upset.

Hong Kong pop star Eason Chan has canceled a sold-out concert scheduled to take place next month at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, with organizers citing “security concerns for Chinese citizens and fans around the world traveling to Thailand”. Zhao Benshan, a Chinese comedian known for his skits at Chinese state television’s Lunar New Year gala celebration, has also postponed a performance in Bangkok next month.

Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, chief executive of low-cost carrier Thai Lion Air, said on Wednesday that 20 percent of the company’s charter flights between China and Thailand – serving routes to Chinese cities other than the six cities where the airline normally operates – have been cancelled.

On Weibo, a Chinese social media site, people discussed travel refunds and whether Thailand was safe, using hashtags that have become more popular on the platform. Travel agents in China said they had received requests from travelers to cancel trips to Thailand or change destinations.

Zhang Zhihong, a sales representative for Baochunguo Travel Agency, a company based in the southern city of Shenzhen focused on Southeast Asian travel, said a quarter of the Thailand tours his company operated were canceled last week. “It’s all because of public opinion around this incident. People felt that traveling to Thailand was unsafe and asked for refunds.”

These concerns could complicate Thailand’s efforts to revitalize its tourism sector after the pandemic. Thailand eased visas for Chinese travelers and offered discounts through Chinese travel platforms in a campaign the country dubbed “Nihao Month,” using the Mandarin term for “hello.” Nearly 7 million Chinese traveled to Thailand in 2024, making them the largest group of international visitors.

Public outcry over the kidnapping of Mr. Wanga is increasing pressure on the Thai and Chinese governments to do more to prevent Chinese people being kidnapped and trafficked into scams in Myanmar.

“The cancellation of the show and the public attention could force the Thai authorities to get more serious about the fight against human trafficking and fraud,” said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

Hundreds of thousands people, often lured by offers of well-paying jobs, fell into the trap such cybercrime operations in Myanmar and Cambodia and forced to work in sophisticated frauds scam people on the internet. Many prisoners disembark first in Thailand before being smuggled across the porous border into lawless areas largely controlled by Chinese organized crime syndicates.

Thai police said that Mr. Wang traveled to Bangkok for what he believed was an opportunity to cast actors. After he went missing on January 3, his girlfriend filed reports with the Chinese police and the embassy in Thailand. She called for help on social media, and her posts, which were also shared by Chinese celebrities, spread far and wide.

Thai authorities said on January 7 that Mr Wang had been found and rescued, but gave no details. Criminal groups often demand hefty ransoms to free their captives from such prisons.

Mr. Wang said in video interviews with Thai media after his release that he was forced to shave his head and learn to type quickly.

Thai officials tried to use his rescue to convince Chinese travelers to visit Thailand. In one video, a Thai police officer urged Mr. Wang: “You think Thailand is safe for you. Can you say in Chinese?”

Mr. Wang’s swift rescue set off a wave of calls for help from the families of other Chinese victims, some of whom had been missing in Southeast Asia for months or years. A diary detailing the disappearance of more than 170 other Chinese victims has been widely shared on Weibo.

Thai officials have been at pains to show that they are working to protect the safety of visitors. Thai police met with Chinese diplomats to discuss the establishment of a center for coordinate efforts to find missing persons and exchange information. And on Monday, Thai authorities said that Chinese authorities had rescued and returned two Chinese women who had been kidnapped in Thailand.

Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, president of the Thailand Hotel Association, said he hoped the Thai government would do more to ease the concerns of Chinese tourists.

“We are nervous because it will have long-term consequences,” he said.

Siyi Zhao contributed to the research.