Thai school uniform boom in China fuels hope for tourism recovery

Social media post by Chinese actress starts cosplay trend among visitors

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Chinese customers pose in Thai student uniforms at the Sriphan store. (Photo from Sriphan's Facebook page)

KOSUKE INOUE, Nikkei staff writer

BANGKOK -- Sparked by a single social media post, Thailand's school uniforms have become a major draw for Chinese tourists, prompting hopes of a possible boost to the southeast Asian country's tourism industry.

"This is the first time in the 60 years since our founding that we have received so much attention," said Yenjit Atsawaprichawong, owner of Sriphan, a school uniform store in Bangkok. Since March, Chinese customers, mainly women in their 20s, have been visiting the shop almost every day, purchasing uniforms to wear while taking pictures in various places.

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