Photo courtesy of South China Morning Post

 

Facing a significant decrease in Chinese visitors, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is considering revising its foreign tourist targets for the year. Initially projecting 37.46 million visitors and 3.4 trillion baht in revenue for 2025, TAT may lower these numbers to approximately 35.54 million tourists, mirroring last year's figures. Chinese tourists, key contributors to Thailand's tourism, are expected to number only 4 million this year.

 

During the first trimester, Thailand saw a 20% decline in tourists from Northeast Asia, including a sharp 30% drop in Chinese visitors, resulting in a 0.2% decrease in overall foreign tourist numbers compared to last year. Factors such as safety concerns, intense regional competition, and environmental issues have shaped this downturn.

 

In response, TAT has allocated 2 billion baht for the "We Travel Together" campaign, set to launch next month. The initiative aims to revive domestic tourism, offering better weekday deals and subsidies to Thai tourists, particularly during the June-to-October rainy season.

 

Recognising safety perception as paramount, TAT plans to bolster confidence via social media and incentivise travel by promoting charter flights and partnerships with Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). The strategy targets Free Independent Travellers (FIT) and long-haul markets from Europe, which showed a 16% increase, with tourists spending more on wellness activities.

 

To offset the decline in Chinese tourists, TAT is expanding its focus to nine neighbouring markets and 15 long-haul ones, targeting quality leisure, family, and specialised travel segments. Emerging markets include Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and India, with an emphasis on high-value segments like health and wellness and digital nomadism, drawing visitors from the Middle East, India, and Europe.

 

Domestically, TAT aims to boost tourism in lesser-known cities, promote travel during weekdays to ease congestion, and elevate Thailand's image as a destination for "Instant Happiness." Meanwhile, safeguarding against past issues, TAT plans stricter project regulations to prevent room price inflation and fraud, ensuring more effective and transparent use of resources.

 

Key influences on the tourism landscape this year include the US-China trade war, the India-Pakistan tension, and US tax policies, alongside efforts to restore Thailand’s reputation for safety, striving to prevent incidents that could deter visitors further.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-05-09

 

 

There came the trillions again.They never stop!!!

A dose of reality is waking up the wise prognosticators? Amazing. Who would have thought? 

Why even make the goals?  Even if the goal is exactly met it really doesn't matter since the goal has no affect on actual tourism numbers.

8 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

A dose of reality is waking up the wise prognosticators? Amazing. Who would have thought? 

TAT will be tapping  into Pakistan soon, I'm sure some of them want to flee.

There are lot more issues than an absence of Chinese and a lot better more value for money countries than what Thailand is now.

17 hours ago, norsurin said:

There came the trillions again.They never stop!!!

There seems to be a huge drop in tourists, Palm Hills sports club has no one playing squash or pickle ball everyday, the pool has maybe one visitor a day, and I have the gym to myself, this has been the same through the supposed high season which did nothing for palm Hills or Smorprong clubs bars and restaurants, you can blame the bike deliveries for a lot of that.

Downtown Tesco and Blueport seemed to have a few tourists but everywhere else was quiet, there is now houses turning into restaurants and small bars ,and carports being used as shops on every street around here, the Thai people are struggling, crime is increasing and god knows what will happen if casinos open up, that will see more money collectors, shootings and general havoc erupt amongst many Thai people, Thais are easily addicted to gambling I've seen it first hand amongst my Thai wife and her friends when living in NZ, many of us had to bar the wife from the casino or move here to get away from the disgusting pain it inflicts on the children and the family home, I've seen so much misery created from casino gambling in my Thai friends in NZ that im positive it is going to happen on a much larger scale here, shame on the politicians that think it will benefit the country, it will destroy it.

 

I think they best drop that number even further. They just don’t get it, even when it’s staring them in the face. Wasting money on trying to get tourists to come to a country with many, many issues. See how that turns out. 

I think most expats will be happy on the news less Chinese tourists coming 

Probably the same with Russians in Phuket 

 

Maybe Thailand, after all, might want to adjust to actual tourism needs rather than to dope-smoked goals those officers are dreaming up while never ever having served a tourist in the first place. 

And then do not forget, one quality tourist is ten Russians, 20 Chinese and 50 South Asians - just saying. Quality over quantity as - quite obviously - quantity is what they cannot handle while quality was on the cards 30+ years ago 😉 

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

 

 

During the first trimester, Thailand saw a 20% decline in tourists from Northeast Asia, including a sharp 30% drop in Chinese visitors, resulting in a 0.2% decrease in overall foreign tourist numbers compared to last year.

 

0.2% decrease

Time to panic!!!

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Key influences on the tourism landscape this year include the US-China trade war, the India-Pakistan tension, and US tax policies,

Why not admit to the manipulated Baht too. Cannot do, as that may upset the hiso billionaire set that run the Country.

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Factors such as safety concerns, intense regional competition, and environmental issues have shaped this downturn.

 

The Winter smog is getting worse and lasting longer every year. In Pattaya, it starts in late November or December when the cool, high pressure system from China makes it this far south, bringing with it stagnant, still air that traps the pollution from vehicles and fires and gradually gets worse. Northern cities like Chiang Mai must get it even sooner. And then it goes on and on for months, until early Aril this year. That means four months when the air quality is often classed as unhealthy and, if you happen to be out and about on holiday, you won't see much beyond a murky blur in the distance where the mountains are. If I was a European tourist looking for a Winter break in the sun there's no way I'd be coming to somewhere with such filthy air as Thailand.

Pooh looked miserable in Moscow yesterday 

 

Something in the wind

2 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

There seems to be a huge drop in tourists, Palm Hills sports club has no one playing squash or pickle ball everyday, the pool has maybe one visitor a day, and I have the gym to myself, this has been the same through the supposed high season which did nothing for palm Hills or Smorprong clubs bars and restaurants, you can blame the bike deliveries for a lot of that.

Downtown Tesco and Blueport seemed to have a few tourists but everywhere else was quiet, there is now houses turning into restaurants and small bars ,and carports being used as shops on every street around here, the Thai people are struggling, crime is increasing and god knows what will happen if casinos open up, that will see more money collectors, shootings and general havoc erupt amongst many Thai people, Thais are easily addicted to gambling I've seen it first hand amongst my Thai wife and her friends when living in NZ, many of us had to bar the wife from the casino or move here to get away from the disgusting pain it inflicts on the children and the family home, I've seen so much misery created from casino gambling in my Thai friends in NZ that im positive it is going to happen on a much larger scale here, shame on the politicians that think it will benefit the country, it will destroy it.

 

When i lived near the Cambodian border in surin i saw thousands of thai passing the border to Cambodia on a daily basis.Straigth to the casino.People had lost their homes and land to the thai chinese.

Terrible to look at.Non of my exwife family did gambling neither her.But i get some neighbors coming and ask for borrow money but i never gave.

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

A dose of reality is waking up the wise prognosticators? Amazing. Who would have thought? 

Few days ago they was afraid of overtourism.They try any way they can do to lie about tourism.

"Recognising safety perception as paramount, "

 

What about Recognising safety as paramount, ?

Has anyone in the Thai government read anything about the current state of the Chinese Economy and the huge push for domestic travel.?  Does anyone in the Thai government plan more than 2 days out for anything?   I love living here, but I'm totally amazed by the lack of long range planning.  Sure, you have to adjust for international incidents, but they Chinese push is gone....for now.  Wake up guys.   Why not do a 3, 5, 7 and 10 year plan for tourism?  Clean up the infrastructure and build more schools and hospitals instead of throwing away a bunch of money on something that isn't going to happen.   

 

Rant over.

12 hours ago, shackleton said:

I think most expats will be happy on the news less Chinese tourists coming 

Probably the same with Russians in Phuket 

 

I don’t think there is currently any drop in Russians in Phuket. They aren’t particularly put off by the health and safety issues which frighten away Chinese.

 

certainly where I live, Russians abound…..but few other nationalities. TAT must be really worried, or they should be.

6 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

I don’t think there is currently any drop in Russians in Phuket. They aren’t particularly put off by the health and safety issues which frighten away Chinese.

 

certainly where I live, Russians abound…..but few other nationalities. TAT must be really worried, or they should be.

 

I was in Pattaya recently, and it's absolutely teeming with Russians. Russian families, Russian single guys, Russian prostitutes, even the stores have signs in Cyrillic. It looks like Russians have taken over Pattaya.

TAT has allocated 2 billion baht to increase tourism. I only charge 2 baht for this advice.

1.     ELIMINATE the plan to reduce the visa-free stay for tourists from 60 days to 30 days

2.     ELIMINATE the plan for a 300-baht tax on all incoming tourists

3.     ELIMINATE the plans for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)

4.     ELIMINATE the jobs of the TAT staff that are constantly changing the rules in a way that makes it harder to plan inbound tourism

 

Thank you

The free money from the “we travel together” was great during covid but this time around….no thanks.

 

Ironically, I will count for 3 (or more) entries this year but that is actually me leaving Thailand to spend more time in the US and Vietnam and keeping my stay here under the 180 day taxation threshold.

16 minutes ago, Tom100 said:

ELIMINATE the plan to reduce the visa-free stay for tourists from 60 days to 30 days

 

This has not happened yet?

 

I can remember people marvelling at 9 million annual visitors, and the place felt busy then. 

 

Mass tourism is a horrid disease that spoils so many beautiful places.

23 hours ago, Showtime said:

Why even make the goals?  Even if the goal is exactly met it really doesn't matter since the goal has no affect on actual tourism numbers.

They have to be seen to be doing something to justify their job. 

8 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

This has not happened yet?

 

That's why he called it 'a plan'.

9 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

I was in Pattaya recently, and it's absolutely teeming with Russians. Russian families, Russian single guys, Russian prostitutes, even the stores have signs in Cyrillic. It looks like Russians have taken over Pattaya.

 

Sorry did you say Phuket ?

3 minutes ago, blaze master said:

 

Sorry did you say Phuket ?

 

Yeah that was a strange one, if I was singling out one dominant nationality certainly in Central Pattaya I would have said it was Indians 

2 minutes ago, kinyara said:

 

Yeah that was a strange one, if I was singling out one dominant nationality certainly in Central Pattaya I would have said it was Indians 

 

Russians have grown in huge numbers in both places. It would be close.

8 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

This has not happened yet?

 

No, fortunately they kept the sixty days long enough for me to get it