French protests fail to dent Thailand demand as bookings rise 30.5%

Political and social unrest in France has so far had no significant impact on French travel demand for Thailand, with forward bookings for the coming winter season up 30.5%, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Chiravadee Khunsub, TAT Deputy Governor for International Marketing – Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, said the agency’s offices in France had detected no meaningful decline in bookings or cancellations of flights or accommodation following the recent protests.

She described the disruption as concentrated in particular locations and relatively short-lived, rather than something that had undermined the wider outbound travel market.

Recent protests in France have involved demonstrations over the rising cost of living and pressure on public services, while some rallies have been accompanied by riots, vandalism and looting. Reuters has reported unrest in Paris and several other cities, although much of the protest activity has remained peaceful.

Forward bookings remain strong

Chiravadee said TAT had received no reports of widespread cancellations by French travellers planning trips to Thailand.

Forward bookings for the winter season, covering October 2026 through the first quarter of 2027, were running 30.5% higher, indicating that demand had not weakened despite the images of unrest circulating internationally.

TAT also reported that major transport infrastructure in France, including airports, continued to operate, allowing outbound international travel to proceed.

The agency therefore sees no immediate evidence that the unrest is changing travel plans among French visitors who have already booked holidays in Thailand.

French arrivals reach 602,000 in nine months

Thailand welcomed about 602,000 visitors from France during the first nine months of 2026, up 0.5% from the same period a year earlier, according to TAT figures cited by Chiravadee.

France recorded approximately 817,000 visitors to Thailand in 2025, representing growth of about 13% from the previous year.

Chiravadee said the latest forward-booking data suggested the French market remained resilient and that Thailand continued to appeal to long-haul travellers despite economic uncertainty in Europe.

TAT expects French arrivals for the whole of 2026 to grow by around 1% year on year.

Although that increase would be modest compared with the double-digit expansion recorded last year, Chiravadee said maintaining the market at roughly the same level or achieving slight growth would still be a satisfactory result given current conditions.

TAT expands campaigns beyond Paris

TAT is stepping up promotional activity in France to sustain demand through the winter and into next summer.

The agency is using 420 digital out-of-home advertising screens around the country to promote Thailand and influence travel decisions during key booking periods.

It is also broadening its marketing beyond Paris and northern France by placing greater emphasis on the south of the country.

The strategy includes a roadshow in three major southern economic centres, where Thai tourism businesses will meet travel partners and promote packages, airline connections and destinations beyond Thailand’s main tourist centres.

TAT hopes the approach will both expand the geographical base of French visitors and distribute tourism revenue more widely within Thailand.

Long-haul market expected to exceed 10 million visitors

For 2026 as a whole, TAT expects Thailand’s long-haul markets covering Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa to generate around 10.7–10.8 million visitors and approximately 690 billion baht in tourism revenue.

Long-haul travel has become increasingly important to Thailand’s strategy of focusing on higher-value visitors. TAT said earlier this year that markets such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States were continuing to provide strong value as Thailand shifted towards a “value over volume” tourism model.

For 2027, TAT expects the long-haul segment to expand by around 4%, lifting arrivals to approximately 11 million and revenue to about 730 billion baht.

Chiravadee said Thailand’s continuing appeal, combined with expanded marketing and strong advance bookings, gave TAT confidence that the unrest in France would not materially undermine the French market during the coming high season.