TAT intensifies second-half tourism campaign as arrivals edge up

Although the war in the Middle East and intensifying regional tourism competition are factors affecting Thai tourism in 2026, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) still sees the outlook for foreign visitors to Thailand this year at 33 million, representing a slight growth of 0.1%.

TAT is moving to stimulate the market heavily in the second half of the year.

TAT presses ahead with full-scale second-half tourism stimulus

Thai tourism this year continues to face negative factors from the economic crisis, the impact of the energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East, as well as risks that are difficult to control, including epidemics, natural disasters, geopolitical and political conflicts, and Thailand’s current value-for-money challenge.

Thailand once had strength in value for money, but tourists now view it as expensive and not worth the cost.

In addition, tourism competition from rival countries, including China, Japan, Vietnam and South Korea, has developed greater competitive capacity than Thailand.

In the Asian tourism competition from 2019 to 2026, Japan has become the country receiving the highest number of foreign visitors, taking first place from 2024 to the present.

Thailand, which had held first place from 2015 to 2023, fell to second.

Vietnam moved up to third in the first quarter of 2026, from ninth in 2016 and fifth in 2025.

Malaysia and Hong Kong have alternated between second and third, but in the first quarter of 2026, Malaysia was fourth and Hong Kong fifth.

Hard-to-control risks also remain, including epidemics, natural disasters, geopolitical and political conflicts, and Thailand’s current challenge over value for money.

Thailand used to be strong on value for money, but tourists now see it as expensive and not worth the cost.

Domestic travel is also expected to trend this year at 200 million person-trips for the full year, down 1%, according to TAT.

As Thais’ purchasing power declines, they become more cautious about spending, and Thai travellers prefer overseas trips.

Popular nearby destinations include China, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.

Thai travellers have changed their travel behaviour by focusing on nearby trips, shortening trip duration, choosing more one-day trips, prioritising value for money and planning over shorter periods, with decisions made close to the travel date.

These negative factors mean TAT must accelerate efforts to stimulate the tourism market in the second half at full speed.

3R strategy to lift long-haul markets

Chiravadee Khunsub, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Europe, America, Middle East and Africa, said the long-haul market stimulus plan for the second half aims to drive about 10.4 million long-haul visitors to Thailand this year.

Although the market has faced challenges from unrest in the Middle East, which has affected the market, TAT will focus on the 3R strategy to build resilience and cope with uncertainty.

It comprises:

• Retain: maintaining as many existing direct flights as possible.
• Reshape: shifting travel hubs away from reliance mainly on the Middle East and increasing direct flights from other regions, such as the Americas, where Air Canada operates year-round, and United Airlines has added direct flights, as well as services from London and Manchester to Bangkok.
• Recovery: maintaining mature markets such as the United Kingdom, which has a strong capacity to spread travel into the low season.

The focus on the Airline Focus strategy is because the most important factor for long-haul markets is “access”.

TAT is therefore prioritising close work with airlines to increase air capacity.

This includes restoring flight routes, such as British Airways returning to direct flights from London and Manchester to Bangkok, as well as airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and Air Canada, and the opening of new routes, such as LOT Polish Airlines beginning direct flights from Poland to Thailand for the first time in July 2026.

The Polish market has grown by 16%.

It also includes cooperation with airlines such as Turkish Airlines to expand the customer base from connecting points worldwide.

TAT will also target rising markets such as Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which have continued to grow because they use flight routes that do not pass through Middle East hubs, as well as the Scandinavian market.

TAT is also driving towards value tourism, focusing on attracting quality tourists seeking a “quality holiday”.

Long-haul markets define Thailand’s value with the word “worth”, meaning receiving experiences beyond expectations.

Although prices are higher than those of some competitors in the region, the quality of products and services, especially Thailand’s five-star hotels, is clearly of a higher standard.

At the same time, TAT will focus on communications and products for quality markets, including working with partnerships, cooperating with media partners to target the super-luxury segment in Europe to communicate a premium tourism image, and creating a new perception that Thailand is not merely a general leisure destination but a centre for wellness and sustainability.

For the American market, a large market with high potential, TAT is preparing to use AI Marketing to restructure all search information and citations on its new website to support the information-search behaviour of new-generation tourists and luxury groups.

For the Middle East market, TAT believes it will recover if the war eases. Saudi Arabia, for example, will remain a key high-potential market with a large number of repeat travellers.

However, specialised markets such as the medical hub segment are facing greater challenges, especially in Kuwait, where problems over unpaid medical bills and cuts to state support budgets have caused growth in this segment to soften.

Push for 22.24 million short-haul visitors to Thailand

Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Asia and the South Pacific at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the outlook for foreign tourists visiting Thailand this year, which TAT expects to be 32.96 million, includes about 22.24 million visitors from short-haul markets, or Asia.

However, TAT is facing major challenges in some key markets.

South Korea, for example, is down 19%, while ASEAN is down 8%.

TAT has laid out a “market balance” approach, or a balance between markets focused on volume and markets with high spending value, to maintain revenue and tourist arrival targets as planned.

TAT aims to maintain its tourist base from large market groups including China, India and Malaysia.

Chinese tourists are beginning to show more positive signs, up by about 7%, while Indian tourists are growing by about 8%.

Potential markets also include Taiwan and Hong Kong.

TAT is also moving into emerging markets, including Myanmar, where numbers may not be very high, but the group has high spending power, especially in the medical and healthcare segment.

In the Philippines, the focus is on leisure travellers and quality groups.

For the main market of Chinese tourists, which is the largest market, TAT has set a target of about 7.5-8 million.

TAT will focus on adjusting the market to reach new-generation segments by creating momentum through social media with creative campaigns such as “Love Letter from Ah Ma”, and by promoting tourist attractions popular among younger people, such as Wat Paknam and Yaowarat, while raising confidence.

This will be done through cooperation between the public sector and security agencies in looking after tourist safety, helping create a positive image in Chinese media effectively, without requiring a large advertising budget.

TAT will also push Indian tourists this year, which it expects to be 2.5-2.8 million.

TAT will also focus on restoring aviation capacity, targeting airline capacity to return above the 2019 level, from the current recovery of about 80-90% in many markets.

It will promote the opening of new flight routes, working with airlines such as Vietjet to open new routes from Hanoi to Udon Thani and Khon Kaen to serve groups wishing to visit their hometowns or travel for cultural tourism.

The win-win cooperation strategy includes working with Vietnam to attract tourists from third countries to connect onward to Thailand.

Tourism connectivity and linkage will connect main cities to secondary cities and promote convenient routes, such as Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, which takes less than one hour.

TAT will also push a short-haul flight strategy, supporting connecting flights between regional airports such as Chiang Mai-Chiang Rai or Surat Thani-Nakhon Si Thammarat to distribute tourists to communities.

Year-round Thai travel activities and big events

Nat Kruthasoot, Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the second half of 2026 has a target of stimulating travel throughout the year, or 365 days.

TAT will support activities and traditional events organised by both the public and private sectors to encourage travel to main and secondary cities.

This will build on Thai products and services, emphasising added value for tourism products and highlighting wellness and healing, an area in which Thailand has high potential.

From the second half through the final quarter of 2026, TAT is preparing to present big events to attract tourists.

These include support for additional activities for participants in the World Bank 2026 meeting in October 2026, the Royal Barge Procession on the auspicious occasion of Her Majesty the Queen’s 4th cycle birthday anniversary in November 2026, and the light-and-sound show “Vijit Chao Phraya” in November 2026.

The highlight expected to drive travel sentiment at the end of the year is the global music festival “Tomorrowland” from Friday to Sunday (December 11-13, 2026) in Pattaya, which has received an overwhelming response.

After ticket bookings opened in Belgium, tickets were fully booked within just 7 minutes.

Thai buyers accounted for only 15%, while foreign tourists made up 85%, divided into Asia at 53% and Europe and America at 47%.

It is regarded as a major project that has been highly successful in attracting foreign tourists to Thailand.

It will be able to accommodate 50,000 tourists a day, or more than 150,000 over three days.

For this event, TAT has integrated work with many agencies, including at the provincial level, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to facilitate infrastructure and visas.

To make events in Thailand a stronger new milestone for global tourism, TAT has prepared a plan to upgrade local festivals to an international level.

Examples include the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, which features candle-making learning activities before and after the traditional event, and the Illuminated Boat Procession, which aims to attract neighbouring countries along the Mekong River and tourists from European markets.

TAT will also hold roadshows to draw foreigners to sports tourism activities, such as the Amazing Thailand Marathon.

Thailand will then enter the countdown period to the New Year.

This year, Thailand remains a world-class destination, with Bangkok as the main landmark for live broadcasts worldwide, alongside the distribution of events to regions across the country, so they are not concentrated only in the capital, helping drive the economy through spending.

Source: Thansettakij