Thailand Surpasses 4M Visitors, Chinese Top the List

So the ToT have had their abacus retuned. Ya gotta bless em!!!

For sure the chinese come in in hoards. But only a few spend with local businesses. The majority of chinese visitors come in prepaid tour groups, cater only at chinse run establishments and shop the same. The money often ends up being sent out of Thailand throught the chinese "hawala" networks. So no big deal here.

So, that means that every visitor in general contributed with more than 51k baht. Don´t think so.

marking a 10.77% decrease in foreign tourist arrivals compared to past periods.Less arrivals,a big drop

17 hours ago, Sigmund said:

For sure the chinese come in in hoards. But only a few spend with local businesses. The majority of chinese visitors come in prepaid tour groups, cater only at chinse run establishments and shop the same. The money often ends up being sent out of Thailand throught the chinese "hawala" networks. So no big deal here.

This is incorrect, and has been for sometime. In 2019, around 60% of the Chinese travelers were FIT visitors, not in tour groups. That percentage seems to have increased. Per Google:

As of early 2025, a significant majority of Chinese travelers to Thailand are independent travelers (FITs), with estimates indicating they make up roughly 77.4% of the total, a major shift from pre-Covid trends where group tours were more prevalent. This shift reflects a preference for curated, specialized, and flexible experiences, with many FITs visiting destinations like Koh Samui.

3 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

So, that means that every visitor in general contributed with more than 51k baht. Don´t think so.

That might be a tad high but it would be in the ball park. Estimates in recent past years have always put the spending around 45 to 55k baht. Allowing for modest inflation gets you to 51k pretty easily.

As the plastic pollution accumulates in the South, we can expect the number to drop further in the coming years. Why would you travel from far and beyond to swim in a sea of plastic waste?

On 2/11/2026 at 9:57 AM, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported over 4 million international visitors between January 1 and February 8. This influx generated approximately THB207,066 million in revenue, marking a 10.77% decrease in foreign tourist arrivals compared to past periods. Despite the drop, specific measures such as travel promotions and eased restrictions have led to an uplift in tourism activity.

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During the early part of the year, China topped the list of foreign visitors with 569,987 arrivals, followed by Malaysia, Russia, India, and South Korea. Natthriya Thaweevong, Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports, highlighted a steady increase in Chinese tourists, supported by policies aimed at enhancing travel to Thailand. A noticeable trend was observed where Chinese tourists shifted preferences from traditional destinations like Japan towards South Korea and ASEAN regions.

The ministry reported improved long-haul travel, particularly from Europe and the Americas, contributing to the tourism figures. For the week of February 2 to 8, Thailand saw 796,978 international arrivals, averaging 113,854 daily, indicating a week-on-week increase. China's visitors rose by 30.45% over that week, while countries like Malaysia and South Korea saw decreases in their visitor numbers.

Looking forward, the ministry anticipates a further rise in arrivals. Factors expected to promote this growth include long-haul travel initiatives, the Trusted Thailand safety-image project, streamlined travel measures, exemption from the TM.6 card requirement, and encouragement for airlines to increase flight frequencies, reported The Nation.

Key Takeaways

• Thailand welcomed over 4 million tourists in early 2023, led by Chinese visitors.

• Government measures have supported this growth, though overall arrivals dropped by 10.77%.

• Further increases are expected due to various travel incentives and policies.

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now · The Nation · 11 Feb 2026

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The locusts have arrived 🙈

7 hours ago, newnative said:

That might be a tad high but it would be in the ball park. Estimates in recent past years have always put the spending around 45 to 55k baht. Allowing for modest inflation gets you to 51k pretty easily.

Sure, you might be right. As I see it though, TAT always blow-up things at the beginning of the year, to always be more down to reality at the end. 28 years of experience tells me it´s same again. Nothing much change here. 😂

On 2/11/2026 at 4:57 AM, snoop1130 said:

marking a 10.77% decrease in foreign tourist arrivals compared to past periods. Despite the drop, specific measures such as travel promotions and eased restrictions have led to an uplift in tourism activity.

Uplift how ? By dropping 10 percent ? This makes no sense at all. How can there be an uploft when its dropped 10 percent.

Nice to see Minister of Tourism & Sport giving pretty reliable figures rather than TAT, that just seem to pick random numbers for whatever out of thin air (or a hat) haha 😅

17 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Sure, you might be right. As I see it though, TAT always blow-up things at the beginning of the year, to always be more down to reality at the end. 28 years of experience tells me it´s same again. Nothing much change here. 😂

A cynical comment that I agree with sadly- often government figures prove to be simply fantasy