Thailand welcomed 18,510,243 international visitors between 1 January and 1 August 2026, with tourism generating 896.2 billion baht in revenue, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The total was down 3.19% on the same period last year, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said. Even so, the figures underline the continuing scale of overseas travel to Thailand for tourists, long-stay visitors and people travelling to see family or conduct business.
China remained the largest overseas market, providing 3,078,486 visitors during the period. Malaysia was second with 2,373,537 arrivals, followed by India with 1,376,433, Russia with 1,100,847 and South Korea with 679,064.
Weekly arrivals also slip
Between 26 July and 1 August, Thailand received 567,312 foreign visitors, an average of 81,045 people a day. That weekly total was 2.92% lower than in the preceding week.
The ministry linked the decline primarily to softer arrivals from short-haul markets after reports of unrest in Thailand's southern border provinces. It also cited reduced airline capacity on India-Thailand routes, where available seats fell 28.6% year-on-year.
European markets continue to grow
Long-haul arrivals, especially from Europe, continued to rise, supported by new air links. The ministry highlighted services between Dubai and Bangkok's Don Mueang airport, and between Amsterdam and Suvarnabhumi airport.
South Korean arrivals rose 19.85% from the previous week, driven by family travel during South Korea's summer school holidays. This made South Korea Thailand's fourth-largest source market for that particular week, despite ranking fifth over the full January-to-August period.
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5 August 2026
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