Foreign arrivals to Thailand top 31 million; Malaysians lead visitor list

Thailand has recorded more than 31 million foreign tourist arrivals so far this year, led by visitors from Malaysia, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

In its latest update covering January 1–December 21, 2025, the ministry said Thailand welcomed 31.76 million foreign visitors, down 7.25% year-on-year. Spending by overseas tourists generated an estimated 1.48 trillion baht in revenue.

Top five source markets (cumulative):

• Malaysia: 4,378,522
• China: 4,357,717
• India: 2,400,586
• Russia: 1,799,151
• South Korea: 1,510,191

Natthriya Thaweevong, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said an initial assessment shows cumulative arrivals have exceeded 31 million, with a noticeable pickup in the past week.

She said long-haul arrivals in December have already reached more than 900,000, reflecting strong confidence among these travellers. Long-haul travel also rebounded sharply in the latest week, with arrivals of about 353,300, up more than 20% from the previous week.

Short-haul markets also grew, driven by an increase across most nationalities—particularly Malaysian visitors, boosted by travel during school holidays.

Weekly snapshot (December 15–21, 2025):

Thailand recorded 778,341 foreign arrivals, up 73,607 or 10.44% from the previous week—an average of 111,191 visitors per day.

The top five nationalities for the week were:

• China: 87,661 (up 2.81%)
• Malaysia: 75,371 (up 21.11%)
• India: 60,772 (up 3.02%)
• Russia: 59,323 (up 21.11%)
• United Kingdom: 36,221 (up 35.97%)

Looking ahead, the ministry expects arrivals to rise further on the back of the winter holiday period and Christmas travel, alongside government measures to ease travel to Thailand—including the suspension of the Tor Mor 6 arrival/departure card requirement—and efforts to encourage airlines to add more flights.