Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – According to a report by the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Bangkok, the latest data released by the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports shows that in the first four months of this year, Thailand received nearly 12 million foreign tourists, a decrease of 3.45% year-on-year; total tourism revenue reached 584 billion baht (approximately US$18 billion), a slight decrease of 3.28% year-on-year, indicating a mild recovery in the overall tourism market.
A closer look at April's performance reveals that, affected by airline flight schedule adjustments, the number of foreign tourists entering Thailand declined by 7% year-on-year to 2.37 million; however, tourism revenue bucked the trend, increasing by 2.94% to 117 billion baht, demonstrating a differentiated development characteristic of "decreased tourist numbers but increased tourism revenue." Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), analyzed that factors such as rising airfares and tight seat availability directly affected tourists' short-term travel decisions. At the same time, the chain reaction triggered by the Middle East conflict may also bring long-term potential pressure to Thailand's tourism industry. However, Thapeni emphasized that the counter-trend growth in tourism revenue in April confirms that the Thai tourism industry has proactively begun structural adjustments—gradually focusing on specialized sectors such as medical and wellness tourism, prioritizing services for high-spending customers, and offsetting fluctuations in tourist numbers with high-quality supply. It is noteworthy that as tourists' confidence in the safety of traveling to Thailand continues to recover, the Chinese market has shown strong recovery momentum, achieving significant growth compared to the same period last year, becoming the core driving force for the development of the Thai tourism industry this year.
It is reported that in 2025, impacted by tourism fraud issues, the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Thailand plummeted to a low of 4.47 million; based on the current recovery trend in the Chinese market, the Tourism Authority of Thailand remains committed to attracting at least 5.5 million Chinese tourists this year as a core objective.
To further solidify the foundation for tourism development, the Thai Cabinet has approved a special loan of 400 billion baht. Taperini revealed that the Tourism Authority of Thailand is using this funding to develop a series of support measures, including supporting tourism operators in upgrading and transforming their businesses, increasing investment in the development of high-end tourism products, and stimulating domestic tourist spending potential, thereby promoting the quality improvement, efficiency enhancement, and steady development of the tourism industry from multiple dimensions. (End)
