Chinese tourist arrivals in Thailand have been steadily declining since the abduction of Chinese actor Wang Xing in January.
However, they still accounted for the largest group of visitors to Thailand during the first quarter of this year, said Natthriya Thaweevong, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports ministry.
Chinese arrivals averaged 15,000 per day and peaked at 16,000 per day during the Songkran festival, but numbers dropped sharply to 5,833 on April 16, with a continued downward trend.
In the first quarter of 2025, the top foreign arrivals came from China (1,331,434), Malaysia (1,153,496), Russia (722,202), India (543,770), and South Korea (497,930).
Despite the decline in Chinese visitors, Natthriya noted that tourism revenue rose by 10% compared to the same period last year—reaching approximately 600 billion baht—driven by high-spending tourists from Europe, the Middle East, and India.
She expressed confidence that Thailand’s tourism revenue target of 2.2 trillion baht for the year will be achieved.
To adapt to global trends and rising competition, the Ministry and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have revised their strategy, focusing more on luxury and high-quality markets to increase revenue.
Meanwhile, TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the government is considering a new scheme to boost domestic tourism by subsidizing 50% of Thai travelers’ spending within the country.
In the first quarter of this year, around 50 million domestic trips were made by Thai tourists, generating 269.8 billion baht in revenue—up 6% year-on-year.
Looking ahead to the second quarter, Thapanee expects about 8.37 million foreign tourist arrivals—a 3% increase year-on-year—generating an estimated 390 billion baht. Domestic travel is projected to rise by 2%, to 51.84 million trips, yielding about 304 billion baht in revenue.
The five most popular destinations among both domestic and international tourists during the first quarter were Bangkok (7.17 million visitors), Chon Buri (3.74 million), Kanchanaburi (3.44 million), Phetchaburi (2.75 million), and Prachuap Khiri Khan (2.71 million).
To further attract high-value travelers, the TAT recently participated in the Arabian Travel Market exhibition, promoting Thailand as a wellness, medical, and family-friendly destination for Middle Eastern tourists.
Between January and April 22, Thailand welcomed 162,790 tourists from the Middle East, who spent an average of 13.8 days and 90,000 baht per trip, according to TAT estimates.
