thailand ministry of tourism statistics

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• สถิติด้านการท่องเที่ยว ปี 2566 (Tourism Statistics 2023)

Thailand Tourism Statistics for 2021

The Ministry of Tourism of Thailand has published the latest Tourism Statistics for the past year 2021 . As you know, Thailand started the Phuket Sandbox program on 1st July 2021 and later on, on 1st November , started the Test and Go program. Those 2 options allowed tourism to travel back to Thailand.

Feel free to use the search box to find some specific nationality:

Some interesting data from the Thailand Tourism Statistics 2021

▪️ The total of tourists that arrived to Thailand on 2021 was 427,869 people. Far from the 39.9 million of 2019.

▪️ 54% of them arrived in December.

▪️ 75% of them arrived after the Test and Go was approved.

▪️ 58% of them were from Europe.

▪️ Only 13,043 tourist were from China. In 2019 they were 10.9 million.

▪️ 24,899 tourists were from Germany, making it the country’s largest source of visitors, followed by United Kingdom (21,311 pax) and Russia (21,205 pax).

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Tourism Statistics Thailand 2000-2024

• Tourism Statistics

Last update this page : May 2024.

See graph of quarterly arrivals updated at bottom of page, updated till first quarter of 2024.

Thailand has restarted its tourism industry for real in the middle of 2022, which showed arrivals of 11,153,026 people by the end of that year. Expectations were very high for 2023. Arrivals were steadily above 2 million visitors each month of the year and even passed the three million mark in December 2023. A total of 28,150,016 visitors arrived. This was an increase of 152.4% over the previous year. In the last year before Covid (2019) there were 39,916,251 visitors, so the present number is still 29.5% lower.

The number of arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 stood at 9.37 million visitors. This was just -13.2 % when compared to the first quarter of 2019. So the positive trend of arrivals is still continuing, but not rapid enough for the Thai government. A lot of incentives (mainly visa on arrival and longer lasting visa) are being issued.

This renewed interest in Thailand (despite geopolitical and financial crises abroad) was splendid. Nevertheless, the Thai government was not fully impressed. The revenue from tourism seems to be needed, and various measures were taken to promote the country for foreign tourists. Mainly it has become easier to get visas and allowed length of stay for citizens of many countries has been extended. See quarterly arrivals at the bottom of this page. Arrivals in the first quarter of 2024 numbered 9.37 million visitors.

The top 5 of countries whose inhabitants visited Thailand in 2023 (between brackets arrivals in 2019, and % change) : 1. Malaysia : 4,626,422 (4,274,458 ; + 8.2 %) : lots of day trips from the country bordering Thailand. 2. China : 3,524,095 (11,138,658) ;: - 68.4 %) 3. South Korea : 1,660,042 (1,880,465 ; -11.7 %) 4. India : 1,628,542 (1,961,069 ; -17 %) 5. Russia : 1,482,611 (1,481,837 ; +0.0005 %) Europe : 5,962,234 (6,531,220 ; -8.7%) Notes : China is clearly lagging other countries. We suspect Chinese people are traveling less in general, maybe because of the local economic situation. There was also a shooting incident in Bangkok, where a Chinese visitor was killed in a shopping mall, but we do not think this can have been a major factor. Anyway, visa are now easier for Chinese (and other) people to obtain. When reading local newspapers and listening to local news, Thailand is swamped by Russian visitors. In effect, there are about exactly the same number of visitors as before the pandemic (so relatively speaking...). European tourists have resumed visiting more than Asian tourists on average.

Tourist Arrivals last few Years before the Covid-19 Pandemic :

The number of tourists visiting Thailand increased from 35.35 million in 2017 to 38.28 million in 2018 and then 39.92 million in 2019. The increase in visitors from 2018 to 2019 was limited to 4.24 %, which actually was less than Thai authorities expected. The ever rising number of tourists arriving came to an abrupt end from March 2020 onwards. 2020 saw only a total of 6,702,396 tourists, almost all arriving in the first three months of the year. From March 2020 to end August 2020 no tourists were allowed in. Thereafter in the last three months of 2020 a total of 10,822 tourists arrived under very special stringent conditions.

Lots of people in the hospitality sector lost their jobs and/or are in dire straits. As 2020, 2021 was a dismal year with hardly any visitors arriving, but we had the 'opening' of the country as from 1 November 2021. This appears to have been an audacious move, since at the time of the announcement of the initiative, a new wave of Covid-19 (the delta strain) was hitting the country hard, much more so than during the initial infections during 2020. But it likely needed to be done, since lots of people (and a lot of smaller SME companies) have a significantly reduced income, and the government has limited resources to continue providing for them. However the impact of this relaxation of travel conditions was limited, with little effect on number of arrivals. Except for the last three months of 2021, monthly arrivals were between 5,000 and 20,000 each month, which for Thailand is a very low number. As seen in the graph before, some more tourists started coming during the last quarter of 2021. Things improved especially from the middle of 2022, when most restrictions were lifted.

In usual circumstances, tourism plays an important role in the Thai economy. The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC, recently renamed from NESDB) stated begin February 2019 that Tourism accounted for 18.4 % (or close to one fifth) of the GDP of Thailand. It had risen from a level in 14.2 % of GDP just four years earlier. Thailand expected ever more income from its tourism sector. It was never enough. However, as we know now, the Covid-19 pandemic put an end to that, at least for the last few years.

A relatively recent development has been the ever increasing number of Chinese mainland visitors. They surpassed 10.5 million visitors in 2018, making up 27.5 % of the total. Their number increased further to 10.99 million in 2019, and the increased number of Chinese visitors was quite obvious on Bangkok's streets and in its shopping malls.

2022-2023 : TAKE-OFF ?

There were modestly more visitors during the first quarter of 2022. 497,693 tourists arrived. As a result of reduced restrictions for travel, both in Thailand and worldwide, the number of visitors 'skyrocketed' to 1,582,257 in the second quarter of 2022. The number of arrivals further increased to 3,608,135 in the third quarter (when travel to Thailand for all practical purposes was unrestricted) and to 5,464,991 in the fourth quarter. The 4th quarter saw a reemergence of the Covid-19 pandemic in China, but soon after restrictions in China suddenly were lifted. The 4th quarter saw only 54,146 Chinese visitors. However, they started coming in earnest during the 1th Quarter of 2023, with 517,270 arrivals. Their reappearance is already quite visible in Bangkok. Nevertheless, since December 2022 till September 2023, the number of arrivals has been a stationary or slowly increasing. However, the last quarter (especially arrivals in December increased) saw more than 8 million arrivals.

Long-Term View : Boom Years for Thai Tourism Industry

In 2001 Thailand received 10.13 million visitors. In the early years of the millenium there was a slow rise, later a very fast increase in tourists arrivals. 18 years later in 2019, we had 39.8 million visitors, so the number quadrupled in that time period.

With 10,994,721 visitors in 2019 China provided the largest number of tourists (27.6% of total), while the country hardly provided any visitors in the first years of this millenium.

Along the way, since the turn of the century there have been a number of temporary setbacks for the Thai tourism industry. You can sometimes see their effect on the number of visitors for a certain year in the graphs on this page. After a health scare, a political uncertainty, or a natural disaster, 'traditionally' the number of visitors decreases during just 2 or 3 months, and then picks up again. Memories from travelers are short.

The following occurred the past 2 decades :

• Post-Tsunami 2004
• Global recession and riots in Thailand 2009
• Riots and political uncertainty in 2010. Major flooding of a large part of Thailand and northern Bangkok end 2011.
• Political demonstrations end 2013 and ongoing into 2014. Anti-goverment demonstrations occupied most of the first half of 2014, and were followed by declaration of martial law, and a military (bloodless)
• Coup d'Etat on 22 May 2014. Bombing of the Erawan Shrine on 17 August 2015.
• Crack-down on zero-dollar (Chinese) tour groups at the end of 2016 had a significant effect on Chinese arrivals. This persisted during the first quarter of 2017, but overall the number of visitors kept on rising in 2016 and 2017.
• 2018 : boat accident in July in Phuket with 47 Chinese casualties. Chinese arrivals decreased during the subsequent months.
• Covid-19 Pandemic from early 2020 till 2023 (?)

It is safe to say that health scares and the global recession had a more pronounced impact than local political uncertainly, riots and demonstration. Thailand experiences an unstable political scene, but overall fortunately the tourism industry continued to grow with only a moderate hick-up during the first three quarters of 2014.

Tourism Industry in Thailand. Domestic Component

Data on tourism income in 2019 and arrivals by nationality and region for the same year.

Interestingly, the tourism sector does not only depend only on foreign visitors. The number of domestic tourists may actually dwarf the number of foreign tourists,but domestic tourists do spend much less per day and their trips are shorter.

Some numbers :

As noted above, the number of international arrivals increases year by year till 2019, bringing in lots of revenue. Averaged over three years from 2017 to 2019 (before Covid), the international traveler earned Thailand 49,661 Thai baht per person (let's say 50,000 baht).

The number of domestic travelers is actually much higher, and reached almost 167 million in 2019. Averaged over the same three years, a domestic traveler spends 6.389 Thai baht on his trips.

When looking at the larger picture, it is obvious that domestic travel is a very important component. From 2017 to 2019, revenue from domestic travel amounted to 35.8 % of total revenue gained from tourism. Effects are underway to revive the Thai tourist industry, after the Covid-19 crisis, by encouraging domestic travel, and giving government sponsored promotions, however with only modest success.

Quarterly Arrivals from 2013 to 2023 :

Thailand has a tourist season when more visitors arrive. As you can see below, the number of visitors is almost consistently higher during the first quarter and the last quarter of each year. This coincides with a more pleasant climate in the country ('cold' season), and less favorable weather conditions in Europe, and large parts of Asia, like China and Japan.

From the graph you may see that the beginning of 2014 (political uncertainty) saw less than expected arrivals.

A military coup was staged and martial law was declared by the Royal Thai Army on 20 May 2014. The above contributed further to a decrease in travel arrivals during 2014, spread over the first three quarters of the year. During the first 9 months of 2014 around 2,000,000 less tourists arrived in Thailand, or a decrease of -10.28% when compared with the same period of 2013. But afterwards, the tourism industry had a very good period, with substantial increases in the number of arrivals. Military rule continued for 5 years, without further adverse effects on the tourism industry. The military government was followed by a 'civilian' government under the same prime minister in 2019.

The first quarter of 2020 saw a dramatic decrease in the number of visitors. This was totally linked to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. A dramatic decrease to ZERO occurred in the second quarter and also in the third quarter of 2020. As mentioned, a very limited number of tourists arrived during the 4th quarter under stringent conditions.

As noted above, from the second quarter of 2020, till the third quarter of 2021 (this covers no less than 18 months), hardly any visitors came to Thailand. We estimate loss of income for the country at 75+ billion U.S. Dollar. It was decided (as in many other countries around the same time) to open for tourists again, still under stringent conditions, as of 1 November 2021.

As can be viewed below, there was a modest increase in visitors during the last quarter, especially during the month of December, which looks promising for 2022. Of the 427,869 visitors to Thailand in 2021, no less than 250,948 (58.6 %) came from Europe. Europeans may be simply dumber, less infomed, or more audacious, than people from other regions ?

The first quarter of 2022 saw further very modest improvement in the number of tourists arriving in Thailand. A total of 497,693 tourists arrived, the highest number since the first quarter of 2020, but still a far cry of the number of visitors in the years before (between 8 and 10 million visitors per quarter). The number of arrivals further improved to 1,582,257 in the second quarter of 2022. At least during the 3rd and 4th Quarter of 2022, we saw marked improvement in the arrival numbers, measuring 3.608 million visitors in the 3rd quarter, and 5.465 million visitors in the last quarter of 2022. The first quarter of 2023 saw 6,477,538 arrivals. Recovering of tourism to Thailand is on track. Possible negative factors : higher prices of airline flights, higher prices of hotels (promoted by some), poor air quality, especially in the North of Thailand, and in Bangkok, mostly in the period between December and April.

Interestingly, the second quarter usually has less visitors to Thailand than the first quarter. This trend is not clearly visible in 2023 , with visitors in the first quarter numbering 6,477,538 and in the second quarter slightly lower at 6,437,153. The third quarter saw a further modest increase in visitors to 7.09 million visitors, and in fourth quarter we passed the 8 million mark (8.095 million visitors).

In 2024 the upward trend continues, with arrivals increasing to 9.37 million visitors. This is only behind the number of arrivals in 2018 and 2019 (-13.2 % compared to the latter year). The government is desperately promoting tourism, as the overall economy is not performing as desired. Look for the large green triangle in the chart below.

Numbers show number of tourist arrivals per quarter of each year (in millions). Source data : Department of Tourism, Thailand. Since a few years data are available at website of Ministry of Tourism and Sports .

P.S. : Wikipedia has a dedicated page covering the Covid-19 Pandemic in Thailand , which we surely can not improve upon.

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Thailand Tourism Statistics: Domestic Occupancy Rate: By Region and Province

Thailand domestic tourism: occupancy rate: bangkok, view thailand's thailand domestic tourism: occupancy rate: bangkok from jan 2017 to may 2019 in the chart:.

Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Ang Thong

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Ayutthaya

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Chachoengsao

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Chai Nat

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Lop Buri

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Nakhon Pathom

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Nonthaburi

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Pathum Thani

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Samut Prakan

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Samut Sakhon

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Saraburi

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Bangkok: Sing Buri

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central: Kanchanaburi

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central: Phetchaburi

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central: Prachuap Sikhan

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central: Ratchaburi

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central: Samut Songkhram

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Central: Suphan Buri

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northeastern

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Amnat Charoen

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Bueng Kan

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Buri Ram

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Chaiyaphum

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Kalasin

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Khon Kaen

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Ley

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Maha Sarakham

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Mukdahan

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Nakhon Phanom

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Nakhon Ratchasima

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Nong Bua Lam Phu

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Nong Khai

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Roi Et

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Sakon Nakhon

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Sisaket

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Surin

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Ubon Ratchathani

View thailand's thailand domestic tourism: occupancy rate: northern: ubon ratchathani from jan 2017 to may 2019 in the chart:.

Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Udon Thani

View thailand's thailand domestic tourism: occupancy rate: northern: udon thani from jan 2017 to may 2019 in the chart:.

Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Northern: Yasothon

View thailand's thailand domestic tourism: occupancy rate: northern: yasothon from jan 2017 to may 2019 in the chart:.

Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Chiang Mai

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Chiang Rai

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Kamphaeng Phet

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Lampang

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Lamphun

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Mae Hong Son

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Nakhon Sawan

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Nan

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Phaer

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Phayao

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Phetchabun

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Phichit

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Phitsanulok

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Sukhothai

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Tak

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Uthai Thani

View thailand's thailand domestic tourism: occupancy rate: southern: uthai thani from jan 2017 to may 2019 in the chart:.

Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Southern: Uttaradit

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Total

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Chanthaburi

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Chon Buri

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Chumphon

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: East

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Krai

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Nakhon Nayok

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Nakhon Si Thammarat

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Narathiwat

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Pattani

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Phangnga

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Phatthalung

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Phuket

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Prachin Buri

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Ranong

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Rayong

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Sa Kaeo

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Satun

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Songkhla

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Surat Thani

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Trad

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Trang

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Thailand Domestic Tourism: Occupancy Rate: Western: Yala

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Thailand is still attracting fewer visitors than before covid. but its tourism sector is thriving thanks to ai, savvy marketing, and season 3 of ‘white lotus’.

It’s hard to resist Thailand’s pristine beaches, ancient temples, and lively nightlife. Over the past two decades, those features have lured tourists back to the country after a devastating tsunami, bouts of deadly air pollution, violent street protests, and even military coups temporarily turned them away. But history has not repeated itself after the pandemic. During COVID, the country that draws as much as 20% of its GDP from tourism shut its borders to virtually all visitors for more than a year. It reopened cautiously starting in July 2021. But tourists still have not returned in full force. By the end of 2023, arrivals tallied 28 million, roughly 30% below the pre-pandemic record of 39.8 million.

“There are three reasons for the slow recovery,” says Bill Barnett, founder and managing director of C9 Hotelworks, a Phuket-based hospitality consultancy: “China, China, and China.” The country was the largest source of tourists for Thailand in 2019, sending 11 million. But just 3.5 million Chinese visited in 2023, mostly because of China’s gloomy economy. Other factors turned off tourists generally, too: flight shortages, higher prices, worsening pollution, and bad publicity related to scams and crimes.

Still, tourism analysts say, lower arrivals haven’t spelled disaster for the industry. Rather, they argue, COVID and its aftermath have forced the sector to innovate and foster greater efficiencies, introduce new technologies, diversify revenue streams, and launch smarter marketing campaigns. As a result, tourism-related businesses are doing better than ever. Larger hotels, for instance, are reporting higher profitability despite lower occupancy. “COVID accelerated changes that were going to happen anyway,” Barnett says. “This is a maturation of the hotel market.”

Bill Heinecke is founder and chairman of Minor International , a Thailand-based conglomerate that owns or manages 536 hotels, plus restaurants and retail shops, in 63 countries. It’s No. 85 on the inaugural Fortune Southeast Asia 500 list this year. Heinecke says Minor lost $1 billion worldwide during COVID. “At one point we had over 500 hotels closed. We were slow to meet payrolls and pay rents, in some cases. We were watching our pennies,” Heinecke says.

The first quarter of 2024, however, was one of Minor’s best in Thailand. “We’re already looking at huge numbers,” he says. Minor hotels have touted their wellness offerings, such as spas, and their restaurants and bars. They’ve offered deals to entice locals to visit for a meal and pitched Thailand’s cuisine to overseas tourists who have indicated food is a priority.

Occupancy remains marginally lower than before COVID, but Minor’s revenue per room soared 26% year over year in the first quarter owing in part to higher rates. Last year its revenue grew 22%, and profits swelled 27%. Likewise, Thailand’s Central Plaza Hotel (No. 388 on the SEA 500), which owns Centara Hotels & Resorts, reported revenue and profit increases of 24% and 215% respectively last year. Higher prices haven’t rankled guests still desperate to travel post-COVID, Barnett says.

What’s more, targeted marketing is persuading tourists to spend on experiences beyond flights and accommodations. The Tourism Authority of Thailand and tour operators now advertise adventure tourism, ecotourism, spiritual tourism, and LGBTQ+ tourism to meet prospective visitors’ niche interests. The government even offers a three-month visa for those studying Muay Thai, the country’s indigenous fighting style.

Thailand is also pitching itself as a picturesque production set, planting its scenery in front of millions of eyeballs. Netflix’s Mother of the Bride was filmed at two Minor resorts, and a third resort in Chiang Mai will feature in season 3 of HBO’s White Lotus .

“COVID accelerated changes that were going to happen anyway. This is a maturation of the hotel market.” Bill Barnett, founder and managing director, C9 Hotelworks

Hotels have also cut costs by choosing not to restore positions slashed during COVID. They’ve automated repetitive tasks like check-ins. Chatbots can answer many guest inquiries, and existing staff have learned to multitask. A front-desk attendant can mix a drink in a pinch, says Saharat “Sears” Jivavisitnont, executive director of Jee Teng Hospitality Group, which owns the 600-room Four Points by Sheraton in Phuket.

The post-COVID recovery, however, has not been equal. Paul Pruangkarn, chief of staff at the Pacific Asia Travel Association, warns that small and medium-size tour operators “don’t have the resources” to invest in new tech or to attract talent amid a labor shortage. He says those are two areas where the government could help by funding worker training programs or offering low-interest loans to smaller players.

“We definitely need more skilled labor,” Jivavisitnont says. “The demands and expectations of customers coming to Thailand are rising,” he says. Today’s guests want amenities like seamless connectivity and Internet of Things–enabled room features. Some hotels are using big data and AI to personalize experiences based on a customer’s past preferences.

Thailand’s government has already intervened to prop up its almighty tourism industry in recent years. In July 2021 it launched the region’s first “travel sandbox” on Phuket, allowing vaccinated and tested tourists to visit the island. Since fully reopening, the government has waived visa fees for tourists from China, India, and dozens of other countries, and eased requirements for others. The government has also ramped up its financial support for Thai Airways , No. 81 on the Fortune SEA 500. The 48% state-owned carrier has returned to profitability and will soon exit a court-ordered restructuring. Longer term, Thai authorities are planning to double the capacity of Bangkok’s two international airports to a combined 200 million passengers by 2030, build new airports in Phuket and Chiang Mai, and open more provincial airports to international arrivals.

Analysts expect Thailand’s 2024 visitor numbers to finally surpass those of 2019, but industry leaders are preparing for the next possible disruption. “These are unpredictable times,” Heinecke says. “The lesson is to be prepared. Be flexible, be adaptable, and above all keep a strong balance sheet.”

This article appears in the June/July 2024 Asia issue of Fortune with the headline, “Thailand reclaims its tourism mojo.”

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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• Leaders Speak
• Brand Solutions
• Young Indians drive surge in travel to Thailand, 80% bookings by Gen Z & millennials

• Online Bureau ,
• ETTravelWorld
• Updated On Jun 13, 2024 at 02:10 AM IST

Thailand aiming for at least 3% growth this year, more tourists

Thailand is planning to increase the number of foreign tourists this year by a million to 36.7 million to help the economy, Thai Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told a news conference. "The economy faces problems as growth is low compared with neighbouring countries'," he said after a meeting of economic ministers. "We can't sit still. We must do something".

• By Online Bureau ,
• Published On Jun 13, 2024 at 02:10 AM IST

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Budget expenditure of Ministry of Tourism and Sports Thailand FY 2016-2023

Total budget expenditure of the ministry of tourism and sports in thailand from fiscal year 2016 to 2023 (in billion thai baht).

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December 2023

fiscal year 2016 to 2023

In Thailand, the fiscal year starts from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. One Thai baht equals 0.028 U.S dollars and 0.026 euros as of Deceember 2023. The figures have been rounded. The source does not provide a date of publication. The date used here is the access date.

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Thailand is still attracting fewer visitors than before COVID. But its tourism sector is thriving thanks to AI, savvy marketing, and Season 3 of ‘White Lotus’

It’s hard to resist Thailand’s pristine beaches, ancient temples, and lively nightlife. Over the past two decades, those features have lured tourists back to the country after a devastating tsunami, bouts of deadly air pollution, violent street protests, and even military coups temporarily turned them away. But history has not repeated itself after the pandemic. During COVID, the country that draws as much as 20% of its GDP from tourism shut its borders to virtually all visitors for more than a year. It reopened cautiously starting in July 2021. But tourists still have not returned in full force. By the end of 2023, arrivals tallied 28 million, roughly 30% below the pre-pandemic record of 39.8 million. 

“There are three reasons for the slow recovery,” says Bill Barnett, founder and managing director of C9 Hotelworks, a Phuket-based hospitality consultancy: “China, China, and China.” The country was the largest source of tourists for Thailand in 2019, sending 11 million. But just 3.5 million Chinese visited in 2023, mostly because of China’s gloomy economy. Other factors turned off tourists generally, too: flight shortages, higher prices, worsening pollution, and bad publicity related to scams and crimes. 

Still, tourism analysts say, lower arrivals haven’t spelled disaster for the industry. Rather, they argue, COVID and its aftermath have forced the sector to innovate and foster greater efficiencies, introduce new technologies, diversify revenue streams, and launch smarter marketing campaigns. As a result, tourism-related businesses are doing better than ever. Larger hotels, for instance, are reporting higher profitability despite lower occupancy. “COVID accelerated changes that were going to happen anyway,” Barnett says. “This is a maturation of the hotel market.” 

Bill Heinecke is founder and chairman of Minor International , a Thailand-based conglomerate that owns or manages 536 hotels, plus restaurants and retail shops, in 63 countries. It’s No. 85 on the inaugural Fortune Southeast Asia 500 list this year. Heinecke says Minor lost $1 billion worldwide during COVID. “At one point we had over 500 hotels closed. We were slow to meet payrolls and pay rents, in some cases. We were watching our pennies,” Heinecke says.

The first quarter of 2024, however, was one of Minor’s best in Thailand. “We’re already looking at huge numbers,” he says. Minor hotels have touted their wellness offerings, such as spas, and their restaurants and bars. They’ve offered deals to entice locals to visit for a meal and pitched Thailand’s cuisine to overseas tourists who have indicated food is a priority. 

Occupancy remains marginally lower than before COVID, but Minor’s revenue per room soared 26% year over year in the first quarter owing in part to higher rates. Last year its revenue grew 22%, and profits swelled 27%. Likewise, Thailand’s Central Plaza Hotel (No. 388 on the SEA 500), which owns Centara Hotels & Resorts, reported revenue and profit increases of 24% and 215% respectively last year. Higher prices haven’t rankled guests still desperate to travel post-COVID, Barnett says. 

What’s more, targeted marketing is persuading tourists to spend on experiences beyond flights and accommodations. The Tourism Authority of Thailand and tour operators now advertise adventure tourism, ecotourism, spiritual tourism, and LGBTQ+ tourism to meet prospective visitors’ niche interests. The government even offers a three-month visa for those studying Muay Thai, the country’s indigenous fighting style.

Thailand is also pitching itself as a picturesque production set, planting its scenery in front of millions of eyeballs. Netflix’s Mother of the Bride was filmed at two Minor resorts, and a third resort in Chiang Mai will feature in season 3 of HBO’s White Lotus . 

“COVID accelerated changes that were going to happen anyway. This is a maturation of the hotel market.” Bill Barnett, founder and managing director, C9 Hotelworks

Hotels have also cut costs by choosing not to restore positions slashed during COVID. They’ve automated repetitive tasks like check-ins. Chatbots can answer many guest inquiries, and existing staff have learned to multitask. A front-desk attendant can mix a drink in a pinch, says Saharat “Sears” Jivavisitnont, executive director of Jee Teng Hospitality Group, which owns the 600-room Four Points by Sheraton in Phuket.

The post-COVID recovery, however, has not been equal. Paul Pruangkarn, chief of staff at the Pacific Asia Travel Association, warns that small and medium-size tour operators “don’t have the resources” to invest in new tech or to attract talent amid a labor shortage. He says those are two areas where the government could help by funding worker training programs or offering low-interest loans to smaller players.

“We definitely need more skilled labor,” Jivavisitnont says. “The demands and expectations of customers coming to Thailand are rising,” he says. Today’s guests want amenities like seamless connectivity and Internet of Things–enabled room features. Some hotels are using big data and AI to personalize experiences based on a customer’s past preferences.

Thailand’s government has already intervened to prop up its almighty tourism industry in recent years. In July 2021 it launched the region’s first “travel sandbox” on Phuket, allowing vaccinated and tested tourists to visit the island. Since fully reopening, the government has waived visa fees for tourists from China, India, and dozens of other countries, and eased requirements for others. The government has also ramped up its financial support for Thai Airways , No. 81 on the Fortune SEA 500. The 48% state-owned carrier has returned to profitability and will soon exit a court-ordered restructuring. Longer term, Thai authorities are planning to double the capacity of Bangkok’s two international airports to a combined 200 million passengers by 2030, build new airports in Phuket and Chiang Mai, and open more provincial airports to international arrivals. 

Analysts expect Thailand’s 2024 visitor numbers to finally surpass those of 2019, but industry leaders are preparing for the next possible disruption. “These are unpredictable times,” Heinecke says. “The lesson is to be prepared. Be flexible, be adaptable, and above all keep a strong balance sheet.” 

This article appears in the  June/July 2024 Asia issue  of  Fortune  with the headline, “Thailand reclaims its tourism mojo.”

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