Thailand sees annual foreign tourist arrivals slow to 33 million

THAILAND, famed for its beaches and relaxing vibes, saw its first decline in tourist arrivals in years in 2025, as holidaymakers’ confidence was rattled by a series of events that rocked the nation.

The number of arrivals fell to 33 million last year, marking a 7.2 per cent year-on-year decline in what was also the first annual drop in international arrivals in a decade outside the pandemic period.

The year started badly, with many Chinese travellers scrapping plans to visit after actor Wang Xing was abducted from Thailand and later rescued from a scam centre in neighbouring Myanmar. Thailand was then rocked by Myanmar’s biggest earthquake in a century, a bloody border conflict with Cambodia, severe flooding in the south, and a political crisis that brought a new government to power.

Malaysians topped the list of foreign visitors with 4.5 million people, followed by 4.5 million Chinese tourists and 2.5 million holidaymakers from India, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports data released Thursday (Jan 1). Russian travellers ranked fourth at 1.9 million, followed by South Koreans at 1.6 million, according to ministry data.

Tourism revenue generated by foreign visitors totalled 1.5 trillion baht (S$61.3 billion) last year, down 4.7 per cent year on year, the ministry data showed. Total tourism revenue coming from visitors and domestic travellers was registered at 2.7 trillion baht, down 1.3 per cent year on year.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand aims to welcome 36.7 million foreign tourists in 2026, with visitors from short-haul markets anticipated to make up more than 70 per cent of international arrivals, The Nation reported, citing Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool. Chinese holidaymakers are projected to total 6.7 million, matching the 2024 arrivals number, Thapanee said, according to the news report. BLOOMBERG