Thailand targets over 33 million tourists under quality strategy
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports drives its 'Value over Volume' strategy to make Thailand a quality destination, expecting over 33.2 million foreign tourists in 2026.
- Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports has set a target to welcome over 33.2 million foreign tourists by the end of 2026.
- The country is pursuing a "Value over Volume" strategy, aiming to become a "Quality Destination" that prioritizes revenue, service standards, and sustainability over sheer visitor numbers.
- Progress towards this goal is evident, with 14.03 million foreign tourists arriving in the first five months of 2026.
- The success of destinations like Koh Samui, recently named "Best Island 2026," is being used as a model to elevate other tourist areas under this quality-focused approach.
Natthriya Thaweevong, Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports, revealed that the Thai tourism sector continues to show positive signs.
In the first five months of 2026 (January–May), Thailand welcomed a total of 14.03 million foreign tourists, reflecting the confidence of global travellers towards Thailand and reinforcing the country's potential as one of the world's leading tourism destinations.
Although the global tourism sector still faces intense competition and international economic challenges, Thailand maintained its level of foreign tourists at over 14 million during the first five months for the third consecutive year, recording 14.76 million in 2024, 14.36 million in 2025, and 14.03 million in 2026.
This reflects the strength of the Thai tourism industry and the effectiveness of continuous government policy implementation.
The permanent secretary stated that the ministry continues to drive tourism strategy under government policy with the "Value over Volume" concept, aiming to elevate Thailand from a popular tourist destination to a "Quality Destination" that creates economic value, distributes income to communities, raises service standards, ensures safety, and promotes sustainable tourism in all dimensions.
Thailand's success is also reflected in international recognition.
Recently, Koh Samui was voted "Best Island 2026" in the Asia-Pacific region at the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2026, based on votes from readers of the leading global travel magazine.
Such success reflects Thailand's potential in developing quality tourist destinations that can offer premium experiences alongside natural resource conservation, community ways of life, and standard services, aligning with the government's Quality Destination development direction.
Koh Samui is considered a top destination chosen by foreign tourists, similar to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya.
From the beginning of the year to Tuesday (March 31, 2026), over 1,006,112 foreign tourists visited Koh Samui, generating over THB25,531.85 million in revenue.
The island is a popular destination for tourists from Germany, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, and China.
"Thailand's goal does not measure success merely by visitor numbers, but prioritises the quality of tourists, the revenue generated, and the benefits distributed to the public and entrepreneurs in all areas, making tourism a core engine to drive the country's economy stably and sustainably."
Natthriya added that in the second half of the year, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports will integrate cooperation with all sectors to continuously organise international activities, festivals, and events, while pushing for health tourism, sports tourism, community-based tourism, and cultural tourism.
This aims to create valuable experiences for tourists and enhance Thailand's competitiveness on the global stage, using the success of quality destinations like Koh Samui as a model to elevate other destinations nationwide.
Supported by these factors, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is confident that Thailand will be able to welcome over 33.2 million foreign tourists by 2026, generating revenue for the economy and elevating Thai tourism to balanced, high-quality, and sustainable growth in the long term.
