Economy Political Jitters and Falling Numbers Shake Thailand’s Tourism Recovery

[webfact]

Picture courtesy of Today Online

 

Thailand's tourism sector is reeling as foreign visitor numbers slide. From January 1 to June 22, there was a 4.24% drop in arrivals compared to the same time last year, revealed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

 

Only 16.04 million foreign tourists visited in this period, sparking concern among industry experts.

Malaysia leads as the top source of visitors with 2.19 million arrivals, followed closely by China at 2.17 million.

 

Despite these figures, the aftershocks of the pandemic are evident. The National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has revised its forecast, now predicting 37 million foreign tourists this year, falling short of the nearly 40 million record set in 2019.

 

The political climate adds another layer of complexity. Concerns over potential instability surged following a leaked conversation between Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Cambodia’s former prime minister, Hun Sen, concerning border tensions.

 

The fear of a coup has worried the tourism industry, which is seeking assurance against political turmoil.

 

The prospect of a coup is alarming for operators, as it would deepen the uncertainty overshadowing a fragile recovery. “A coup would be disastrous for our sector,” one local operator warned, emphasising the need for a stable democratic system.

 

As Thailand attempts to revitalise its tourism industry post-pandemic, it faces the dual challenge of overcoming both economic hurdles and political uncertainties.

 

The industry remains hopeful for stability, which is crucial for recovery in both tourism and the broader economy.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from [source] 2025-06-25

 

 

[harada]

Whether I be taxi ripoffs as soon as you leave the airport or collapsing buildings it all comes down to greed and corruption so tourists are opting for safer, enjoyable destinations, and considering the fact that the greed and corruption starts at the very top there’s not much chance of things changing any time soon, unfortunately ,

[Yagoda]

Its great for tourism when the border is closed.

[JimHuaHin]

Could it be that Thailand is getting a lot of negative international press, on a wide diversity of issues?

 

Could it be that some recent tourists who have had "negative" experiences in Thailand are posting their experiences on social media?

 

Maybe one day Thais will wake-up to the reality that they need a government and government bureaucracy, at all geographic levels, that looks after the interests of all Thais and a good future of the nation, and not selfish personal wealth.  It is the selfish politicians and bureaucrats that are killing Thailand and its reputation.

[ikke1959]

If the Thai Government refuse to enter the 21st century, tourist numbers will go down.. Look at how vaping is handled, alcohol sales/buying hours, double standards and pricing ,scams,  constantly publishing that all foreigners are bad, such as no decent clothing, drinking and behavior.. and of course the constantly threat of defamation by negative reviews, and fines for posting alcohol promotion if you publish picture on social media.... It seems that nothing is allowed in the land of smiles anymore and all foreigners are unwelcome, and also the foreigners living here are with outdated visa rules as 90 days report, address notifications, endless paperwork for extension the visa every year, and high taxes on imported articles as wines, and now the latest income taxes... Why than complaining that they stop visiting you?? Don't they understand that they are not a welcoming country anymore??

[technoronin]

Thailand is doing a thorough job of discouraging those of us who want to come spend a few months there.  Making my bank account unusable was the last straw.

[maddox41]

Going to get worse Malaysia just topped the rankings for tourism in SEA. 

And Vietnam just approved you can get duel  Citizenship if your married to a Vietnamese or have a grand parent from Vietnam. 

So Thailand good luck and with the double pricing, crime, new tax laws, visa mindfileds and cold shouldering the Expat... the land of smiles is long gone and no one to blame but the Thais themselves. 

Maybe it will be back to normal with your free mango and sticky rice on arrival 😂 give it 3 yrs and Vietnam will be the go to destination for Expats. 

[Photoguy21]

Maybe the Tourist Authority should take a close look at countries that have good tourist growth. They could I am sure learn a lot from such places, taking such things on board though could be problematic when you consider that numbers mean everything to the Tourist Authority which in reality they don't.

[manta]

Only gonna get worse 

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand's tourism sector is reeling as foreign visitor numbers slide. From January 1 to June 22, there was a 4.24% drop in arrivals compared to the same time last year, revealed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports

Be grateful for what you have.... 

[roo860]

16 minutes ago, maddox41 said:

Going to get worse Malaysia just topped the rankings for tourism in SEA. 

And Vietnam just approved you can get duel  Citizenship if your married to a Vietnamese or have a grand parent from Vietnam. 

So Thailand good luck and with the double pricing, crime, new tax laws, visa mindfileds and cold shouldering the Expat... the land of smiles is long gone and no one to blame but the Thais themselves. 

Maybe it will be back to normal with your free mango and sticky rice on arrival 😂 give it 3 yrs and Vietnam will be the go to destination for Expats. 

Just found me long lost Grandad, Won hung lo.🙂

[Peter Crow]

Yet another Tourist Shake.

[BarraMarra]

Everyone knows what the problems are yet the TAT refuse to listen. There attitude is " We know and we will bring the millions in revenue from Tourism " then they roll out a spokesman gives out stupid figures pulled out from under his table and think we believe it, or they simply blame Covid or China for lack of numbers they never Acknowledge the problems that is causing the loss of tourism. They still believe planes will keep arriving full. Until someone realises where the True problems lie they will slip further and Further down the tourist map.

[Purdey]

Modernization of the bureaucracy would help. Better transportation and infrastructure. Better education for people who will be the future workers and leaders. More manufacturing of hi-tech goods and services. Make things other countries want. Think ahead to what people will need in the future.

A wish list that will never be granted.

[Peter Crow]

I gonna  have my October holiday in Da Nang. Gonna miss the sewage in the water and to whores on the beach.

[BarraMarra]

2 minutes ago, Peter Crow said:

Yet another Tourist Shake.

Yes but thanks to social media Peter we cannot be blinkered anymore and will vote with our feet which Destination to travel to. Thailand's Golden Goose stop laying years ago and we all know.

[Peter Crow]

41 minutes ago, manta said:

Only gonna get worse 

Sure, but not so many of us, who can remember what Thailand was in the last century, will be left.

[Rumpelstilskin]

2 minutes ago, Peter Crow said:

I gonna  have my October holiday in Da Nang. Gonna miss the sewage in the water and to whores on the beach.

Curious to know what you think of Da Nang and if there is anything different than here. Been 3 times to N and S and found food options very limited outside of sandwiches and soup bowls. 

[RT555]

51 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Just found me long lost Grandad, Won hung lo.🙂

........Yu weren't paying attention.......It's ...........Wun Hung Lo

[Chongalulu]

26 minutes ago, Peter Crow said:

I gonna  have my October holiday in Da Nang. Gonna miss the sewage in the water and to whores on the beach.

At least you ended on a positive note...

[spidermike007]

Thailand is no longer attracting very many Western tourists for a dozen very good reasons. Right now it is predominantly Malaysian, Indian, Arab, Chinese, and Russian. One could argue that these are relatively low quality tourists, in terms of the amounts of money that they spend. Sure you have a few wealthy Russians and some  wealthy Chinese, but most are lower to middle income and don't spend alot. 

 

Thailand suffers from an impossible level of smugness and arrogance, and a persistent belief that they are truly the center of the universe and the best thing in the world. They don't have a clue. Sometimes it feels like the fact that the nation was never colonized was a leading factor in this hubris and inability to see the world for what it is. The severe inability to adapt, improve, and reform, has hurt their prospects. 

 

It's all good. Far less tourism would make Thailand far more comfortable for the tourists who come, and for the expats, and would likely lead to better attitudes amongst people in tourism. They simply would need to be creative in figuring out ways to make up for the lost billions in revenue. 

 

This process will not be reversed until the authorities wake up and make some sacrifices such as lowering luxury taxes, lowering wine taxes, cleaning up the air, making the highways safer, allowing more private air travel, helicopter travel, high-speed trains and alternatives to the totally choked and extremely hazardous highways. 

[MalcolmB]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

has revised its forecast, now predicting 37 million foreign tourists this year

Still massive numbers,  still winning, it’s laughable that most of the comments here are giving advice. 
It was overcrowded anyway. 
Good result, well down TAT and congratulations to all the Thais who are raking in millions.

[kimothai]

Well, let's face it:  getting kidnapped to go work in a scam center just isn't as much fun as it used to be.

[MalcolmB]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Thailand suffers from an impossible level of smugness and arrogance, and a persistent belief that they are truly the center of the universe and the best thing in the world. They don't have a clue.

Says the American

[BarraMarra]

Waste of time Spidermike until the Tourism minister sits down and ASKS what can we do to regain trust and bring back visitors they will remain a boat without a rudder just going round and round.

[MalcolmB]

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

Just found me long lost Grandad, Won hung lo.🙂

He is the cousin of Phuk Mai Thit

[MalcolmB]

Just now, BarraMarra said:

Waste of time Spidermike until the Tourism minister sits down and ASKS what can we do to regain trust and bring back visitors they will remain a boat without a rudder just going round and round.

37 million.

A few less westerners due to high cost of living in their countries biting hard.

Easily replaceable.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Preventing tourists from exiting/entering Thailand at border crossings with Cambodia helps massage the figures.

[wensiensheng]

Huh?

 

I’m sure only last week i read an article that said tourist numbers were going through the roof, particularly from certain European countries.

 

On the other hand, the week before there was an article bemoaning a lack of visitors.

 

Who knows what the situation really is 🤷‍♂️. I certainly don’t think TAT do.

[wensiensheng]

39 minutes ago, Rumpelstilskin said:

Curious to know what you think of Da Nang and if there is anything different than here. Been 3 times to N and S and found food options very limited outside of sandwiches and soup bowls. 

Da Nang has quite a diverse selection of eating places.

 

While I was there for a few days I had an expensive meal of fine dining in a ritzy roof top restaurant. And then I had another dinner sitting on plastic stools at a local street side restaurant. Both had delicious food.

 

Along the beach there are a number of trendy restaurants. There are also a lot of large seafood restaurants on the land side of the beach road. They appear to be for Chinese tour groups and I have them a miss.