Chinese tourists top arrivals as Thailand surpasses 4 million foreign visitors
Tourism and Sports Ministry said Thailand recorded 4,185,291 international visitors from January 1 to February 8, generating an estimated THB207,066 million in tourism receipts despite a 10.77% year-on-year drop.
- Thailand welcomed over 4.18 million international tourists from January 1 to February 8.
- The top five source markets for visitors during this period were China, Malaysia, Russia, India, and South Korea.
- China was the largest source of tourists with 569,987 arrivals, showing a sharp increase for more than five consecutive weeks.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has updated Thailand’s latest tourism figures for January 1 to February 8, showing the country has welcomed more than 4 million international visitors.
In an update issued on February 10, the ministry said Thailand recorded 4,185,291 foreign tourist arrivals during the period, down 10.77%, generating an estimated THB207,066 million in revenue from international visitor spending.
Top five source markets (January 1 to February 8 )
- China — 569,987
- Malaysia — 377,860
- Russia — 340,618
- India — 285,767
- South Korea — 207,357
Natthriya Thaweevong, Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports, said the preliminary assessment shows cumulative arrivals from January 1 to February 8 have surpassed 4 million.
She said Chinese arrivals rose sharply over the past week, ranking first and increasing for more than five consecutive weeks, supported by government measures aimed at boosting travel.
She also cited a shift in travel behaviour among Chinese tourists, with some changing preferred destinations from Japan to South Korea and ASEAN countries.
The ministry noted that long-haul travel has also improved, driven by higher visitor numbers from Europe and the Americas.
Overall, for the week February 2–8, Thailand recorded 796,978 international arrivals, up 34,586, or 4.54%, from the previous week, averaging 113,854 arrivals per day.
Top five source markets (February 2–8)
- China — 151,988 (up 30.45% week on week)
- Malaysia — 62,745 (down 20.91%)
- Russia — 58,945 (up 1.30%)
- India — 48,396 (up 1.70%)
- South Korea — 33,811 (down 7.64%)
For the following week, the ministry expects arrivals to rise further, supported by factors including long-haul travel promotion measures, the Trusted Thailand safety-image initiative, government Ease of travelling measures to facilitate travel to Thailand, the TM.6 (arrival/departure card) exemption, and efforts to encourage airlines to increase flight frequency.
