Thailand Welcomes 18.5M Foreign Tourists Jan-Aug, Revenue Nears 900B Baht Despite Slight Dip

Thailand welcomed over 18.5 million foreign tourists between January 1 and August 1, generating nearly 900 billion baht in tourism revenue, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said on Tuesday. Despite the robust revenue, the number of foreign arrivals saw a slight year-on-year decline. According to Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul, Thailand recorded 18,510,243 international arrivals during the period. These visitors generated 896.2 billion baht in tourism revenue. China remained Thailand’s largest source market with 3,078,486 visitors, followed by Malaysia (2,373,537), India (1,376,433), Russia (1,100,847), and South Korea (679,064). In the latest reporting week, from July 26 to August 1, Thailand received 567,312 foreign visitors, a decrease of 2.92% from the previous week, averaging 81,045 arrivals per day. The ministry attributed the decline primarily to weaker arrivals from short-haul markets, citing reports of unrest in Thailand’s southern border provinces and reduced airline capacity on India-Thailand routes, where seat capacity fell 28.6% year-on-year. Long-haul markets, especially from Europe, continued to show growth, supported by new flight connections such as Dubai–Bangkok (Don Mueang) and Amsterdam–Suvarnabhumi services. South Korean arrivals saw a significant increase of 19.85% from the previous week, driven by family travel during the country’s summer school holidays, making South Korea the fourth-largest source market for the week. Source: Khaosod English