Thailand's tourism sector aims for 6.71 million foreign arrivals in final 2 months to hit 33.4 million target

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a target of welcoming 6.71 million foreign tourists in the final two months of 2025 to reach its annual goal of 33.4 million visitors. This follows a 7.23% decline in foreign arrivals during the first 10 months of the year, with a total of 26,689,071 visitors. This resulted in a 4.53% drop in revenue from international markets, amounting to 1.23 trillion baht.

The top 10 foreign markets for visitors to Thailand in the first 10 months of 2025 are:

1. Malaysia - 3,856,816 visitors
2. China - 3,774,771 visitors
3. India - 1,984,859 visitors
4. Russia - 1,418,101 visitors
5. South Korea - 1,274,415 visitors
6. Japan - 877,574 visitors
7. United Kingdom - 836,907 visitors
8. United States - 830,539 visitors
9. Taiwan - 822,519 visitors
10. Singapore - 763,470 visitors

In October 2025, Thailand welcomed 2,573,743 foreign visitors, a 3.94% decline compared to the same month in the previous year. The top 10 markets in October were:

1. Malaysia - 378,143 visitors
2. China - 357,445 visitors
3. India - 213,858 visitors
4. Russia - 145,764 visitors
5. South Korea - 136,382 visitors
6. United States - 83,929 visitors
7. Taiwan - 83,574 visitors
8. United Kingdom - 78,947 visitors
9. Singapore - 77,095 visitors
10. Germany - 76,709 visitors

Thanapol Cheewarattanaporn, President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), forecasts that Thailand will receive approximately 32 million foreign tourists by the end of 2025 — lower than the government’s target and below 2024’s figure of 35.54 million visitors. The top five markets expected to generate the highest numbers of visitors to Thailand are:

1. China - 4.6 million visitors
2. Malaysia - 4.5 million visitors
3. India - 2.2 million visitors
4. Russia - 1.6 million visitors
5. South Korea - 1.5 million visitors

The ATTA attributes the slowdown to the lower-than-expected number of daily visitors from China, with arrivals averaging only around 10,000 visitors per day, and at times dropping below that figure — much lower than pre-pandemic levels.

“Tourism in Thailand is currently at its lowest point since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope it won’t get worse, and naturally, the industry should begin to recover soon. We’ve seen the government’s efforts, which have encouraged relevant agencies to act swiftly to avoid future issues or increased scrutiny. The private sector remains hopeful that better times are ahead, despite the current slowdown,” Thanapol said.

By January 2026, a major B2B event will be organised to further boost Thailand's tourism sector, bringing international business partners to negotiate with Thai operators. The event is expected to attract 1,500 participants, with travel packages being offered to distribute tourist traffic across regions. The initiative aims to cover both international tourism to Thailand and domestic tourism within the country. Additionally, there are plans to launch promotions offering special airfares to attract both Thai and foreign tourists. Discussions will be held with the TAT to secure funding for these projects.

Regarding the issue of scam networks in Cambodia, which have impacted Thailand’s tourism reputation, the ATTA President highlighted that the global perception links Thailand’s proximity to Cambodia, which leads to concerns that Thailand could face similar scam problems. He urged the government to take swift action to combat the scam networks, noting that discussions with tour operators have confirmed the issue’s negative impact on the tourism industry.