Thailand’s tourism industry is encountering a notable slowdown in international arrivals, driven largely by a steep drop in Chinese tourists, who have traditionally formed a significant share of the market.
Key takeaways
- Thailand’s tourism sector is experiencing a 5% decline in international visitors, driven mainly by a 34% drop in Chinese tourists compared to pre-pandemic levels.
- Although long-haul markets like India and Japan are growing, their smaller volumes and spending cannot fully offset the loss from China.
- Experts stress the urgent need to improve safety perceptions and implement aggressive marketing to revive Chinese tourism and diversify source markets.
From January 1 to July 5, 2025, the country welcomed 16.8 million international visitors, representing a 5% decrease compared to the same period last year.
Close to 67% of these tourists came from nearby markets, while long-haul visitors accounted for 33%. However, tourists from nearby countries fell by 12.2%, with East Asia seeing a sharp decline of 24.8%.
This drop is primarily attributed to fewer Chinese travelers, whose numbers have decreased by 34.2% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Historically, China was Thailand’s top source of international tourists, contributing nearly 28% of all arrivals with about 11.1 million visitors in 2019.
In stark contrast, Chinese tourists now make up only 13.6% of arrivals, with projections estimating that total Chinese visitor numbers will fall below 5 million in 2025 for the first time in over a decade (excluding Covid-19 years).
This decline has hit Thailand’s tourism revenue hard. Malaysia has recently overtaken China as the largest source market, with 2.36 million Malaysian visitors recorded, slightly edging out China’s 2.32 million arrivals.
However, Malaysian tourists typically spend less time and money in Thailand, averaging 4.17 days and 21,450 baht per trip, compared to Chinese tourists, who stay about 7.36 days and spend roughly 42,428 baht.
Encouragingly, other markets such as India, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, the UK, and the US have shown growth, particularly among long-haul travelers who tend to spend more.
Long-haul tourists’ average spend is approximately 81,482 baht per trip, significantly higher than the 50,000 baht spent by short-haul visitors. Yet, their smaller volume, making up only 28% of total arrivals, means they cannot fully offset the Chinese tourism shortfall.
Thailand is also facing rising competition from regional rivals. Japan’s appeal to Chinese tourists has increased thanks to the weaker yen, with over 3.1 million Chinese visitors recorded there, surpassing Thailand. Meanwhile, a stronger Thai baht has made neighboring Vietnam an increasingly attractive destination for Chinese travelers.
Yuthasak Supasorn, former Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), cautioned that Thailand’s tourism sector might fall short of both visitor and revenue targets this year. He emphasized that while growth from other markets is promising, it does not yet compensate for China’s decline.
Amid these challenges, experts urge Thailand to focus on boosting safety standards and diversifying its tourism base to sustain recovery and growth in the coming years.
