Tourism sector warns Thailand may lose ‘top destination’ status; Anutin pledges urgent action
Tourism leaders warn Thailand risks falling from a top global destination to just one of many choices; PM Anutin pledges strong government support and fast-track measures.
A delegation representing five major tourism associations met Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday to present urgent recovery measures for Thailand’s tourism industry in 2025, amid signs of a regional slowdown. Several Asian and ASEAN markets are experiencing declining outbound travel, and foreign arrivals to Thailand could drop by around 7% next year compared with 2024.
The delegation — comprising the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA), Thai Hotels Association (THA) and the Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) — proposed immediate three-month measures focused on boosting safety, restoring confidence, and countering negative social-media sentiment.
Key proposals included:
- A global safety campaign to rebuild trust
- Stronger price incentives for domestic and international air tickets
- Tourism-stimulating tax measures
- Proactive communication to prevent reputational damage
For the medium and long term, the private sector urged the National Tourism Policy Committee to drive six key workstreams:
- Reform tourism laws
- Raise national service standards
- Improve infrastructure, particularly in secondary cities
- Promote investment in new, world-class tourism products
- Build a refreshed, compelling brand identity for Thailand
- Strengthen competitiveness through sustainable development
They warned that without timely government action, Thailand faces a serious risk of being downgraded from a “top destination” to merely “one of many options” in future travel decisions.
Prime Minister Anutin reassured the associations that tourism is a top priority for his government.
He noted that his recent visit to China had opened new opportunities through government-to-government (G2G) dialogue, creating space for the private sector to negotiate increased travel between China and Thailand.
He added that if the Chinese premier visits Thailand for further bilateral talks, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) may propose a tourism MOU to strengthen long-term cooperation and promote sustainable travel between the two countries.
