2025.08.2700:25:49UTC+00Thailand Foreign Tourist Arrivals Fall 7.14%

Between January 1 and August 24, 2025, Thailand experienced a 7.14% decline in the number of foreign tourists compared to the corresponding period in the previous year, announced the Tourism Ministry on Tuesday. The country saw approximately 21.37 million international visitors within this timeframe, with China continuing to be the leading source of tourists, accounting for 3.03 million arrivals. Recently, the state planning agency revised its forecast for total foreign tourist arrivals in 2025, reducing it to 33 million from an earlier estimate of 37 million. For context, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million visitors in 2019, prior to the pandemic. Current figures reveal that the Thai economy grew by 2.8% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2025, a decrease from the 3.2% growth recorded in the first quarter. The accommodation and food services sector faced significant slowdown, posting a mere 2.1% growth compared to 7.2% in the preceding quarter, primarily due to a reduction in inbound tourism and a deceleration in domestic travel. During the second quarter, the number of foreign tourists stood at 7.136 million, marking a 12.2% decrease. On the other hand, domestic tourism experienced a growth of 2.1%, down from 2.6% in the first quarter.