Thailand’s tourism industry has yet to return to last year’s performance despite welcoming more than 15 million foreign visitors so far in 2026, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Between January 1 and June 20, the country recorded 15,447,571 international arrivals, generating more than 745.39 billion baht in tourism revenue. However, visitor numbers were down 2.78% compared with the same period in 2025. Get today's headlines by email Figures released by the ministry’s Economics Tourism and Sports Division showed that China remained Thailand’s largest source market with 2,538,498 visitors. Malaysia followed with 1,992,324 arrivals, ahead of India with 1,188,190, Russia with 996,840 and South Korea with 576,404. Despite the year-on-year decline, international arrivals increased during the week of June 14 to 20. Thailand welcomed 508,133 foreign visitors during the seven-day period, an increase of 21,464 people, or 4.41%, compared with the previous week. Daily arrivals averaged 72,590 visitors. The ministry said the weekly increase was driven by the Dragon Boat Festival holiday in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. China remained the largest source market during the week with 83,796 visitors, while arrivals from Malaysia also rose due to a midweek public holiday. Taiwan recorded the strongest weekly growth, with arrivals increasing by 18.23%, making it the fifth-largest source market for the week. According to TravelNews, short-haul markets grew by 3.37% compared with the previous week, while long-haul markets increased by 7.40%. However, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects international arrivals to ease in the coming week as holiday travel in several key source markets comes to an end. The ministry also noted that the Indian market continues to face challenges because of reduced flight availability. The Thaiger reported that although China and Malaysia continue to support Thailand’s tourism sector, officials said overall visitor numbers remain below those recorded during the same period last year. The ministry said attracting more international tourists during the second half of 2026 will be important to support the continued recovery of the tourism industry. Picture courtesy of The Thaiger Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now TheThaiger 30 June 2026
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