Tourism from South Asia to Thailand Soars 22.64%, with 535,000 Visitors Monthly

Tourism from three key South Asian markets—India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—has seen significant growth, with an average of 535,000 visitors per month entering Thailand, marking an increase of 22.64%. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), Pakistan experienced the highest growth rate at 27.57%, followed by Sri Lanka at 22.92%, and India at 18.34%, compared to the previous year.

From January 1 to November 23, 2025, Thailand welcomed a total of 28,968,664 international tourists, generating approximately 1.34 trillion baht in revenue. The sharp increase in South Asian travelers is reflective of Thailand's successful tourism policies that encourage international travel.

The surge in demand has prompted India's largest low-cost carrier, IndiGo, to request new flight routes to Thailand's secondary cities, including Chiang Rai, Udon Thani, and Hat Yai, further facilitating increased connectivity.

In line with these developments, new international and domestic routes are also being launched during the 2025/2026 winter flight schedule. These include new flights from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Riyadh, Almaty, Sendai, Chongqing, and Tianjin, as well as the reopening of direct flights between Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. This marks the return of U.S.-based airlines to Thailand after 11 years, following the country's upgrade to CAT 1 safety standards.

These expanded flight routes will enhance Thailand’s air connectivity to high-potential economic and tourism markets, helping boost the country's tourism recovery at the end of the year. The upcoming SEA Games 2025 and ASEAN Para Games 2025, to be hosted in Thailand from December 9-20, 2025, are expected to further increase air traffic, benefiting both passenger volume and flight frequencies.