Thailand targets Chinese tourists with 'teary' music video

In an effort to attract more Chinese tourists, the hardworking folks at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have brought in some Thai celebs and a Taiwanese actress to put together a Chinese-language song and music video.

The dramatic vid, embedded above, is set in various tourist hot spots like Bangkok and Hua Hin, with Thai superstar singer Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre -- who is sometimes referred to as Thailand's Andy Lau -- singing in Mandarin. 

According to the TAT, the video will be broadcast in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.

Starring alongside Thongchai in the music video “Rong Hai Tham Mai” (Why the tears?) are Taiwanese actress/model Sonia Sui and Thai actor Nawat “Pong” Kulrattanarak, who the TAT says now has a large Chinese fan following.

The video tells the story of a Thai tour guide who meets up with a Chinese girl on his tour around Thailand. They fall in love. Times are good. Or so they want you to think.

"How will this love story end?" asks the TAT on its website. "The climax to this love story is the drawcard that is expected to keep viewers riveted until the end, and send the bookings to Thailand soaring."

China in particular is indeed a growing source of tourists for Thailand. According to statistics from Immigration Thailand, the country received 1.15 million visitors from China from January to August of this year, an increase of 68.59 percent over 2010.

During that same period there were 253,256 visitors from Hong Kong (+42.56), 1.38 million from Malaysia (+21.91), 369,220 from Taiwan (+41.73) and 391,923 from Singapore (+23.39).

Though these figures are good news for the country's tourism industy, a dramatic increase was to be expected given the negative impact last year's protests and government crackdown had on tourist arrivals.