Thailand's annual foreign tourist arrivals fell for the first time in a decade outside of the pandemic period, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The country recorded 32.9 million international visitors in 2025, a 7.2 per cent decline from the 35 million who visited in 2024.
The drop is attributed to several factors, including a fall in East Asian visitors following the abduction of Chinese actor Wang Xing in Bangkok in January 2025, aftershocks of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in northern Myanmar, a border conflict with Cambodia, and severe flooding in southern Thailand last year.
Data from the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports showed that Malaysians were the largest group of foreign visitors, with 4.52 million, followed by 4.47 million Chinese travellers and 2.48 million from India. TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the authority aims to welcome 36.7 million foreign tourists in 2026, with 70 per cent being short-haul visitors, and expects Chinese arrivals to reach 6.7 million, matching 2024 levels.
In August, Thailand launched a campaign called “Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights,” offering 200,000 foreign arrivals a free round-trip domestic flight with 20kg of baggage. The initiative, costing 700 million baht (£15.9 million), was expected to generate 8.8 billion baht (£200 million) in revenue.
