Chinese travel agencies have suspended travel to Thailand following the military coup, but are optimistic that there will be no long-term negative impact.

Tourists companies such as China Comfort Travel (CCT) and China Youth Travel Service (CYTS) are contacting airlines and Thai hotels in an effort to compensate tourists who had booked to travel in the Southeast Asian country.

"The situation appears calm, and services are largely unaffected," said Guo Yu, CCT marketing manager.

But he added that the company is still keeping an eye on the situation via the local media.

CYTS said three tour groups with a total of 50 tourists scheduled for Thailand's capital Bangkok have been cancelled, but services to Phuket - which is one hour from Bangkok by air - are operating normally for the moment.

"Chinese travelers in Bangkok did not panic during the coup. They left the capital safely on Wednesday morning," Song Xiaohong from CYTS marketing department told Xinhua

"I heard about the coup on TV. Soldiers took to the streets but looked non-violent. It was not as terrible as we imagined, but my friends and I chose to stay in the hotel for safety," said Feng Yanping, a traveler who has since returned to Beijing from Thailand.

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