Thailand, grappling with a drop in tourist arrivals, has unveiled a global campaign to boost wellness tourism, positioning itself as a premier international destination in this growing sector. While the country attracted an impressive 39 million visitors in 2019, this progress was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tourism has steadily rebounded, with over 35 million visitors arriving in 2024. For 2025, the Thai government is targeting 38 million tourists. As tourism accounts for approximately 15% of Thailand’s GDP, revitalizing this sector is essential. To achieve this, various initiatives are underway, including a focus on the Thai Wellness industry.
But what is the wellness industry ? Wellness is one of the 13 key industries on which the National Soft Power Strategy Committee works, to promote Thai soft power. It consists in elevating Thai traditional wisdom and herbal products, promoting wellness tourism but also personal healthcare and beauty. This sector is worth 35 billion US dollars.
Overall, this economic plan is divided into 11 segments, including essentially healthy eating (25.4%) and Wellness tourism (22.1%). The health industry is expected to generate 690 million baht, in 2025, which represents 3.39% of the country’s GDP. Globally, the kingdom of Thailand is ranked 15th worldwide for wellness tourism.
“We were born with wellness”
“From traditional Thai massage to modern medical innovations, we are positioning Thailand as a global wellness hub, offering not just treatment but an experience of better well-being”
– Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime minister of Thailand
An international exhibition : Osaka Expo a decisive opportunity
Thailand tries to raise awareness on this contemporary type of tourism at the Osaka Expo. The Kingdom of Thailand’s pavilion already received around 200 thousand visitors. Located in the “Connecting lives for Greatest Happiness” zone of the exposition and following the theme of “Phoumi Vimana” (which means Land of immunity), the Thai pavilion focuses on the promotion of Wellness tourism, showcasing medicinal herbs based products, hospital capacities and typical thai meals under the cuteness of the pavilion’s mascot “Nang Phoumichai”.
The Wellness industry : profoundly rooted in traditional Thai customs
Traditionally, Thai people were raised having a profound respect for nature, which is the whole particularity of Thai wellness practices (harvest of Thai herbal products). For instance, Thai massage which has always been a key soft power leverage for Thailand, is slowly being renamed as “Nuad Thai”, which is how it is literally called in Thai language.
By doing this, Thailand implements and shows its identity to the international scene, in the continuity of thainess. Moreover, Nuad Thai is a UNESCO world heritage since 2019, which underlines and gives credit to the unicity of such a custom.
“Thainess is a meaningful way of life aligned with a deep respect of nature”
The wellness economy also lies in the idea of a shift of mentality of people. Nowadays, people, while being healthy, still go to see doctors to know how to behave to live longer. Longevity and mindfulness are indeed key aspects of the Wellness economy : Thailand is shifting towards a preventive medicine instead of a healing medicine.
The Journey to the Thainess Wellness Destination
To make this project happen, the Thai government started a huge program of building Wellness centers, and also created a “Thainess Wellness Destination” certification. In 2025 around 1692 Wellness centers are effective. Among them, Patom brand which the CEO is Anak Navaraj, aims to contribute to this wellness economy through sustainable, local and ecologically-friendly projects.
Beyond the products they sell, Patom has an organic village, offering a total of 12 activities, like rice planting, natural flowers stamping or inhaler making, to people desiring reconnecting with nature. 3% of Patom’s turnover goes to a fund helping local farmers, in the context of a circular and inclusive economy.
Other wellness sites also offer accommodation such as the RXV village. It offers a wide range of rooms for different prices. On the site, customers can have access to several therapy practices such as crystal sound relaxation, aquatic therapy, or Nuad Thai.
This emerging form of tourism appears to open new opportunities for boosting Thailand’s GDP through its soft power. However, despite promoting equal and inclusive access to democratized wellness, the high costs associated with the luxury offerings may raise concerns about the sustainability and equity of this economic model.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a press trip organized and facilitated by the Government Public Relations Department (PRD) of Thailand.
