Thailand welcomes over 7 million foreign tourists from 1 January to 26 October 2022

[webfact]

 

Heading into the traditional high season of October to March, the full year target for 2022 is 7-10 million visitor arrivals.

 

TAT Newsroom

Thailand welcomed over 7 million tourists between 1 January and 26 October, 2022, with the full year target for 2022 being between seven and 10 million visitor arrivals.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said “With the difficult times of recent now behind us, Thailand is seeing its efforts across the board – from ongoing tourism marketing and promotion, to the Amazing Thailand SHA health and safety standards put in place – paying off, with more than 7 million foreign tourists having already returned to our shores so far in 2022.”

 

The total number of visitor arrivals for the 1 January-26 October, 2022, period was 7,349,843. The top five source markets were Malaysia with 1,246,242 arrivals, India with 661,751 arrivals, Lao PDR. with 538,789 arrivals, Cambodia with 373,811 arrivals, and Singapore with 365,593 arrivals. Tabulated by the TAT Intelligence Centre based on data from the Immigration Bureau, these totals do not include migrants, United Nations officials, and non-nationalities.

 

The top five points of entry to Thailand were Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok (3,891,196 arrivals), Phuket International Airport (958,027 arrivals), Don Mueang International Airport (564,008 arrivals), Sadao Border Checkpoint (451,578 arrivals), and Nong Khai Border Checkpoint (225,859 arrivals).

 

Now having fully reopened to international tourism, Thailand no longer requires tourists to show proof of vaccination or ATK test results, and a longer length of stay is being offered. Effective from 1 October, 2022 to 31 March, 2023, the period of stay is extended to 45 days (from 30 days) for tourists from countries/territories entitled for visa exemption, and to 30 days (from 15 days) for those eligible for a visa on arrival (VOA).

 

Major international and regional airlines are resuming flights to Thailand from countries around the world, while Thai Airways International (THAI) in its recently announced 2022-2023 winter schedule (30 October, 2022 – 25 March, 2023) is operating flights on 34 European, Australian, and Asian routes with increased frequencies on selected routes.

 

More international events and local festivals are again being held throughout Thailand, including the popular Loi Krathong annual festival in locations nationwide in the first part of November, and the Bangkok Art Biennale (BAB 2022) which is taking place through until 23 February, 2023, at various locations across Bangkok featuring works by 73 local and international artists.

 

Also, as the host of APEC 2022, a number of APEC meetings are taking place in Thailand, most recently the APEC Finance Ministers’ Meeting (FMM) from 19-21 October, 2022. Next, the high-profile APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) is to take place from 14-19 November, 2022.

 

Mr. Yuthasak said, “Looking ahead, TAT is actively working to ensure Thailand remains a top-of-mind destination for tourists from around the world, such as with the ‘Visit Thailand Year 2022-2023: Amazing New Chapters’ campaign.”

 

Complementing the campaign, the ‘Write Your New Chapter’ TVC was launched to communicate the Amazing New Chapters message and to engage tourists around the world through a cinematic perspective to show them Thailand has a multitude of holiday possibilities in which there is something for all. The aim is to inspire tourists to explore Thailand and create their own chapters, which they can then share with their friends and family and encourage them to also visit.

 

Thailand is moving towards more sustainable, more responsible and more inclusive tourism in line with the Thai government’s Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economy Model.

 

The kingdom will continue to be promoted as a world-class destination with existing and new tourism experiences waiting to be discovered by the world’s tourists.

 

This will be showcased alongside NFT products including Nature to keep, Food to explore, and Thainess to discover – which are the main highlighted products in the “Amazing New Chapters” campaign.

 

Source: https://www.tatnews.org/2022/10/thailand-welcomes-over-7-million-foreign-tourists-from-1-january-to-26-october-2022/

 

-- © Copyright TAT NEWS 2022-10-28

 

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[yang123]

Equivalent figures from the pre-plague period?

[jacko45k]

They will be welcoming them with a surprise charge of 300 baht  next year.

[petermik]

And everyone a big spender....well done TAT....

[bradiston]

3,186,186 is the total from their listed nationalities. But to say these don't include migrants is a bit hard to believe. Over 900,000 *tourists* from Cambodia and Laos? Same as from India and Singapore? Nah, no sale. And as for the other 4 million? The usual TAT.

[vandeventer]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

They will be welcoming them with a surprise charge of 300 baht  next year.

The tax should be when they leave and when they fill out a questionnaire. Did you have fun? How much did you spend? Will you be coming back? If they get all 3 right and no one will, than no fee, but if they get 1 wrong. slap the fee on them.

[Burma Bill]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Tabulated by the TAT Intelligence Centre

Well I never!!

 

[Cake Monster]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The total number of visitor arrivals for the 1 January-26 October, 2022, period was 7,349,843. The top five source markets were Malaysia with 1,246,242 arrivals, India with 661,751 arrivals, Lao PDR. with 538,789 arrivals, Cambodia with 373,811 arrivals, and Singapore with 365,593 arrivals. Tabulated by the TAT Intelligence Centre based on data from the Immigration Bureau, these totals do not include migrants, United Nations officials, and non-nationalities.

So with a total of 3,186,186 being made up from only 5 Nations ( Malaysia, India, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Singapore ), that means Thailand managed to attract ( read as Lure ) a Whopping 4,163,657 Tourists from the whole rest of the World.

Very impressive, so much so, they even have to count out UN Officials

 

[2baht]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Tabulated by the TAT Intelligence Centre

That's the funniest thing I've read this year! ????????????

[nigelforbes]

4 hours ago, yang123 said:

Equivalent figures from the pre-plague period?

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/tourist-arrivals

[Isaan sailor]

Who needs western tourists, anyway?  Got plenty of spenders from Laos, Myanmar, Maylasia and India.

[2baht]

4 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Who needs western tourists, anyway?  Got plenty of spenders from Laos, Myanmar, Maylasia and India.

Any money is good money in Thailand! ????

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand welcomed over 7 million tourists between 1 January and 26 October, 2022, with the full year target for 2022 being between seven and 10 million visitor arrivals.

Woefully low considering Thailands reliance on tourist revenue.

This years recovery is not happening, and judging by the way the west is going next year will not be much of an improvement either.

[ThailandRyan]

9 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Woefully low considering Thailands reliance on tourist revenue.

This years recovery is not happening, and judging by the way the west is going next year will not be much of an improvement either.

To this I agree 100%.  It will be a slow recovery worldwide, but then the world as a hole is in a deep hole and still digging out.

[mikebell]

I spoke to one family of tourists on the Navy beach Sattahip.  They were horrified that the beach wasn't free & scandalised that Thais paid 50% less than them.  I don't think they'll be back.

[Eleftheros]

MOTS  have just released their September international arrivals data - total is 1,309,115 of which 683,144 were from the ASEAN countries, just 181,027 from Europe (mainly German, UK, French and Russian) , 52,000 from the Americas.

 

The September monthly total is about 40% of a typical pre-Covid month, so they could be looking at 8 million total for the year. Not brilliant, but enough to stop the Immigration guys at Suvannaphuum falling asleep.

 

https://www.mots.go.th/news/category/656

[Gknrd]

I saw five of them last night on a deserted walking street where I am in Nong Kai.   One a man and wife team that looked like they had not bathed in a few days... And four sitting playing on their phones... 

[actonion]

18 hours ago, vandeventer said:

The tax should be when they leave and when they fill out a questionnaire. Did you have fun? How much did you spend? Will you be coming back? If they get all 3 right and no one will, than no fee, but if they get 1 wrong. slap the fee on them.

Questionnaire is a good idea,  if only they could find someone  who can read English

[ThailandRyan]

45 minutes ago, actonion said:

Questionnaire is a good idea,  if only they could find someone  who can read English

Remember the Covid questionnaires they had you fill in at the airports on arrival? I always had to have the person at the desk fill in my info as the entire thing was in Thai? Just handed them my pink ID card and they entered the info off of it....

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[Blumpie]

On 10/28/2022 at 3:45 AM, Cake Monster said:

So with a total of 3,186,186 being made up from only 5 Nations ( Malaysia, India, Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Singapore ), that means Thailand managed to attract ( read as Lure ) a Whopping 4,163,657 Tourists from the whole rest of the World.

Very impressive, so much so, they even have to count out UN Officials

 

Yep

I'm sorry to say but it seems as though I may have been right - tourism is simply not bouncing back in Thailand.  And honestly getting that place up and running again would be a monumental task at best. The place is nearly shuttered for tourism with just a few places open.  

It would be an interesting time of year to visit.

I"m off to Sumatra in a day and giving Thailand a wide berth.  No thank you.  

 

Edited: Apologies, what I"ve heard from thailand is from these forums not from first hand experience so take the places shuttered with a grain of salt!

Edited October 30, 2022 by Blumpie

[ThailandRyan]

21 minutes ago, Blumpie said:

Yep

I'm sorry to say but it seems as though I may have been right - tourism is simply not bouncing back in Thailand.  And honestly getting that place up and running again would be a monumental task at best. The place is nearly shuttered for tourism with just a few places open.  

It would be an interesting time of year to visit.

I"m off to Sumatra in a day and giving Thailand a wide berth.  No thank you.  

 

Edited: Apologies, what I"ve heard from thailand is from these forums not from first hand experience so take the places shuttered with a grain of salt!

You are pretty correct on the totality of tourism being very slow in bouncing back.  All of the folks who said that those of us who posted this many times over the past year were just not correct and restated that it would beat the expectations of many by years end last year, and then again by years end this year.  In my view it will be probably 2024 before we see it tick upward.  Those folks who berated us have been pretty silent on these OPs.  Sure Bangkok's nightlife has seemed to pick back up, but then that is only on the weekends.  When we were down in Hua Hin at our house there, it was only on the weekend, and over the holiday weekends when it seemed almost back to normal, yet quiet as hell other times.

[Onerak]

It will take a decade for Thailand to attain pre-covid tourist numbers (39 million per year). 

[BayArea]

On 10/28/2022 at 4:56 PM, ThailandRyan said:

To this I agree 100%.  It will be a slow recovery worldwide, but then the world as a hole is in a deep hole and still digging out.

I agree as well but I do think western Europe will be the only bright spot. It was recovering quite well this past summer ( record numbers too) and Europeans enjoyed visiting other parts of Europe due to airfare and transportation costs being comparatively low as opposed to traveling half way across the world. 

[Cake Monster]

19 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

You are pretty correct on the totality of tourism being very slow in bouncing back.  All of the folks who said that those of us who posted this many times over the past year were just not correct and restated that it would beat the expectations of many by years end last year, and then again by years end this year.  In my view it will be probably 2024 before we see it tick upward.  Those folks who berated us have been pretty silent on these OPs.  Sure Bangkok's nightlife has seemed to pick back up, but then that is only on the weekends.  When we were down in Hua Hin at our house there, it was only on the weekend, and over the holiday weekends when it seemed almost back to normal, yet quiet as hell other times.

Tourism Globally is on its A$$e

With many Countries close too, or even in recession now due to ever increasing Fuel costs and rising Inflation, the pot from where Thailand will get its Tourists is ever shrinking with less Tourists and more Countries vying for there Money.

Many potential Tourists have now found out they can Holiday in their own Countries as cheaply as coming to Thailand or going elsewhere abroad, or in many cases now due to high Air Fares , even cheaper, and with a very good holiday experience also. 

All the eggs in Thailands basket were put firmly in one place, but with the slowdown in Global Trade and Covid Lockdowns, China is not going to come galloping over the Hill with Millions of Tourists any time soon to save Thailands Economy.

With an Economy so heavily reliant upon Tourism ( 20 % of GDP ), the Thai Government and especial the Tourism sector have all made a huge Faux Pas by not investing in the sector during Covid, with each and every one of them saying and Praying " China will be back before the end of 2021 "

How wrong they have all been !

 

[overherebc]

This photo claims to be arrivals today at swampy. Sent to me by a Thai friend.

[jacko45k]

11 hours ago, overherebc said:

This photo claims to be arrivals today at swampy. Sent to me by a Thai friend.

They are all coming to try the big new curry house in Naklua. 

[bradiston]

11 hours ago, overherebc said:

This photo claims to be arrivals today at swampy. Sent to me by a Thai friend.

Impossible to verify I think.

[nigelforbes]

On 11/1/2022 at 6:49 AM, bradiston said:

Impossible to verify I think.

I can verify that's swampy arrivals. And since masks are no longer mandatory the picture would have to be recent. 

[jacko45k]

On 11/2/2022 at 3:59 PM, nigelforbes said:

I can verify that's swampy arrivals. And since masks are no longer mandatory the picture would have to be recent. 

Or pre-Covid!