Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

Pressure is mounting on Thailand's government to tackle increasing competition from Vietnam for European and Russian tourists, with industry leaders calling for a "tourism war room". This initiative, supported by private sectors, seeks to devise a strategic plan to enhance Thai tourism amidst emerging challenges.

The Thai Hotels Association (THA), led by Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, stresses the urgency for a serious and collaborative approach to address the growing threat posed by Vietnam's tourism boom. Informal talks with Yango Ads, a company focused on Russian markets, reveal that Russian tourist numbers in Vietnam have doubled in the high season.

In addition, some Thai hotels have noticed a shift of tourists from European countries like Poland to Vietnam, drawn by new attractions and competitive pricing. The strong Thai baht exacerbates this trend by discouraging spending. Mr. Thienprasit emphasised the need for a concerted strategy involving private stakeholders to mitigate these shifts, particularly during the low season.

We expect hotel performance in Thailand to mirror last year's figures in terms of occupancy and room rates as the year begins. Four-star hotels, particularly in southern provinces, have been able to increase their rates slightly compared to the same period last year. However, three-star hotels and below may struggle to match these increases.

One noticeable trend is the reduction in Chinese guests, expected at least for the first quarter, although long-haul visitors continue to rise. The THA has predicted a 74% occupancy rate for January, down from December's 76%. The upcoming Chinese New Year in mid-February could potentially bolster visitor numbers, as hotels anticipate last-minute bookings typical of Chinese tourists.

Looking forward, the tourism sector in Thailand remains cautiously optimistic. The potential increase in Chinese guests after their New Year celebrations could provide a boost, while continuing to devise and implement strategies to stay competitive will be crucial for sustaining growth in a challenging market landscape, reported the Bangkok Post.

Picture courtesy of Shutterstock

Key Takeaways

• Thailand's tourism industry braces for increased competition from Vietnam.

• A collaborative "tourism war room" is proposed for strategic planning.

• January occupancy rates are expected to be lower than December, but there is a potential rise after Chinese New Year.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2026-01-20

 

 

Hey! Here's a novel approach to your "problem", invest in education, technology and infrastructure so you can stop relying on tourism.

But no, the bubble has poped and the tourist that you heavely rely on have left the sinking boat and you cling to this idea that if you create a "war room" you will discover the magical thing that will bring back tourists.

Let me get a tissue so that I can wipe my palm before smaking it on my forehead.

The same old answer to the problem " Hoping the Chinese will save Thai Tourism ". Just do what you normally do when the loss of Tourists numbers come in. Devize a Scam to exract more cash due to your loss of revenue.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

. Four-star hotels, particularly in southern provinces, have been able to increase their rates slightly compared to the same period last year

of course a too expensive THB and we raise the prices to make it more unattractive to come... More expensive for less.. When is Thailand realizing they are on wrong path?? Investments will take some time and making things more expensive will only chase people away...No warroom needed.. Common sense if that is available and weaken the THB, and stop the double standards... a few things that will work over some time, as the bookings now they are lost already

Thailand has only got it’s self to blame with propped up baht, visa regulations, dual pricing and the conflict going on meanwhile vietnam are offering cheaper offers

The overall picture is that quality tourists are going elsewhere, leaving the dregs ( New Demographic) for Thailand, unfortunately

What they need to do is bring back the mid-high spending 'thriftpackers' who like to stay in more upscale places (not 5 stars) drink lots and buy things, and fly within the Kingdom.

These tourists mostly come from Canada, Western Europe and the US.

I think they feel they've been abandoned lately by Thailand tourism. 🤔

Vietnam is the new Thailand I'm afraid. Get used to it TaT. Please don't tempt ever more low quality tourists to make up the shortfall because that is one of the main issues for Thailand's image right there.

When I first read the headline I thought the new idea to bring in tourists was to open a Thai/cambodia border command post as a tourist attraction, then the Vietnam part clicked.

There really is no need to have any 'war room' or gimmick to improve tourism. Just give good value for money and bring back the old fashioned type of friendly welcome to foreigners, both of which are in short supply around tourist areas, but more common in less-touristy areas. Vietnam beats Thailand hands down in both aspects.

Just an idea from a 25 year resident that has seen many friends and am considering moving also.

1. Strong baht, yes and maybe the deciding factor for many.

2. Stop being the ganga capitol of the world and with all the problems it has brought.

3. Don't allow people to rent motorbikes without a valid licence

4. Stop starting construction and roadworks at the start of high season

5. Promote the beauty of Thailand and keep it clean.

   Just a few ideas that would bring back and keep the visitors/expats that were the mainstay of that economy. You never had competition but you do now, and once Vietnam grants retirement/long stay visas, you will see a collapse in the winter birds

A War Room? What a great idea!! Will the military be involved??

A war on Thai arrogance, complacency, out-of-date thinking, pollution, tourist-directed crime, etc. would be a good start.

The world is changing, and changing more quickly than before; but Thailand is still living in a mythical past, supported and propagated by a conservative-ultra-nationalist elite.

Even the Vietnamese Communist Party recognized in the mid 1980s that it had to change its thinking and goals in order to advance the country and the Party, which one of the reasons why Viet Nam is now powering ahead, while Thailand ...

Well, well, "WAR ROOM" - what a solution to a very, very simple problem.

Instead of analyzing, what the Thais provide as tourism products and compare this with what others do, they want to establish yet another money pit, this time a war room to tackle tourism.

It has been listed over and over and over again; of course nobody in the Land of Funny Hats and Rubber Ducks cares and now the chicken come home to roost.

Clear up the absolute avalanche of bureaucracy in immigration and visa policy, boil it down to a few, simple to understand, visa types. Forget all that nonsense with so-and-so many visa exemptions, the digital arrival/departure system (no Western country has time for such nonsense), the TM30 and the draconian consequences for the tourist, if the Thai hospitality partner fails to do their jobs. Stop the nonsense with prohibiting AirBnB, get the cabbies to understand basic English, fine doctored taxi meters, do away with multi-tier pricing for visiting sites or medical services and reverse the increasing number of Thais not speaking any foreign language.

Serving foreigners should be a pride but the disinterest everywhere combined with the rip-off almost everywhere ......... does not require a war room but common sense and some professionals at the helm of all those money-wasting organizations, clubs, associations and congregations. And, if you are it, have a word with this imbeciles at the BTS and the denial of issuing prepaid rabbit cards for tourists - just a hint for all those dozens of experts moving into the war room while we speak ;-)

Lost cause, ignorance prevails here, let them bask in it.

What I hear fromfriends and relatives back in Europe is that people want to get more for their western currency when they go here, which means the thai baht exchange rate is to high, so if you want to boost your economy and increase the number of tourists, there is one solution - devaluation of the strong baht.

The other reason I hear from friends back home in Europe is the unrest, people are worried about the border situation. Several European governments recommend not to travel in or visit the border areas closer than 50 km to Cambodia, which means the number of tourists there are decreasing. Except that people are worried the western insurance companies will not pay for damages if anything happens.

Stop treating people coming to Thailand to spend money like they should be grateful and in debt to the powers that be, the term" Farang " is often used in a detrimental context with regards to tourists, when its Thailands tourist areas that should be grateful, as without " Stupid Farangs " those areas would not exist, although the quality of tourists has declined sharply in recent years, anti social behaviour, violence, the availabilty of drugs ( particulary Cocaine ) has exploded in Phuket, Pattaya and Bangkok in recent years, which has had a huge negative effect on these areas, people are realising there is much more to SE Asia than Thailand, and more welcoming Countries are now taking up the chance to attract new tourists, and it will be Thailands loss and their gain

Well, set up whatever ' War Room' you like; Vietnam doesn't seem to lose wars.

I, and many other regular visitors to Vietnam, have been saying for years that Thailand was losing customers to Vietnam; now the leak has become a river.

They could get always get on to reform. It has to happen sooner or later and they're just simply kicking the can down the road in the pursuit of greater wealth. Sacrifices need to be made. I do not hear ANY discussion about what sacrifices Thailand is willing to make, to get the tourists, and that multi trillion baht cash cow back.

The very first thing would be to repeal the anti farang wine bill, that was passed by a few very corrupt senators way back when, to protect an anemic local wine industry. They are losing billions of dollars a year in revenue, that would be had from a 60% wine duty, instead of 365%. The five star hotels would have major wine events, and the entire industry would flourish here.

Thailand keeps droning on and on and on, about how they want wealthy tourists. Again, what sacrifices are you willing to make? Rich tourists like to spend money when they travel. And they cannot do that here, as they do not like getting taken for a ride. Most wealthy people are smart with their money. Thailand could be making a fortune on a 25% luxury tax, instead of the 100% of more, which discourages most people from buying. How many people do you see in the luxury stores here? They are almost always completely empty. Inane. Beyond inane.

What sacrifices is Thailand willing to make, to create the so called hub they keep referring to? Ten year visas for free? Allowing foreigners to buy property here? Reducing punitive luxury and wine taxes? Reducing import duties on stuff we want to have shipped here? Ditching the submarine project, to support the people?

Always an excuse, never a willingness to take responsibility and admit. Always deflection, always denial, always blame, on something outside of Thailand. Now, they blame Vietnam, who have enjoyed increased prosperity and tourism for a dozen different reasons.

 

This process will not be reversed until the authorities wake up and make some sacrifices such as 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. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if next winter Thailand finds that many more of their past long-stay snowbirds move on to new destinations after how they have been treated this winter.

So many me included have had problems with Thai immigrations.

We all thought that the 60days on arrival would make our winter stay in Thailand easier, what a surprise we got, many were sent packing already at the airport or detained for questioning like criminals.

The when we wanted to extend our 60days we got denied and told to go home or get a proper visa in another country.

People from cold countries on pensions are not interested in working illegally or scamming anyone they want to get away for the winter and if the Thai immigrations had half a brain they would make it easy for that group otherwise they will be going to Vietnam or somewhere else that welcomes them.

Does common sense require a special room?

What do you put in the room when there is no common sense available?

As someone who has lived here 20 years but now takes all his holiday oversees, mostly Vietnam. I can say it's very simple.

Market Forces and Accesibility.

Thai 4* & 5* hotel prices have become ludicrous. Vietnam has noticed this and simply undercuts them by about 50% and concentrates on personal service.

In Vietnam I see hotel's GM all over the hotel like a rash. I hardly ever see that in Thailand.

The key to Vietnam supplanting Thailand is an airport. Build a massive airport and turn it into a superhub. Thailand recognised this decades ago and built Suvarnabhumi. Ho Chi Minh airport is a disgrace.

8 minutes ago, sikishrory said:

Does common sense require a special room?

What do you put in the room when there is no common sense available?

No, but it might require several expensive taxpayer funded committee meetings at 5-star hotels with all the bells and whistles included.

It’s more that Vietnam has picked its act up. Thailand needs to do the same. It’s still cheap for tourists other than the poor. It needs to promote other provinces, too much on Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok. Attract real tourists that want to see the country. Need to promote its not a 3rd world country outside the cities.

My several trips to Vietnam (N & S) both as a tourist with my Thai wife and on business ventures, have really pointed out the stark differences in the Vietnamese 'approach' to visitors compared to Thailand.

Most welcoming everywhere.

(Including a brief, friendly , briefing on arrival at one hotel,about best taxis to use, where to eat and various other 'do's and don'ts' etc. This even impressed my wife).

Great use of English all over. Even uni students etc asking politely to walk alongside with us to improve their English. Good free guides they are too.

With a population larger than TH, it is well policed, m/c riders all wearing helmets. Lots of cars tooting in semi chaotic traffic, but it seems to work. Never saw road rage or in fact, a vehicle accident!

Small, self employed tour operators took ANY currency. THB, USD, AUD,YUAN,YEN,WON...no problems.

Love it...but not really feasible to live long term with a Thai wife.

I do not believe this process can be reversed.

Vietnam is advancing rapidly and has much to offer: striking scenery, beaches, and islands, good value, and, most importantly for me, consistency.

By contrast, Thailand has increasingly positioned itself as a hub for low-quality tourism, online romance and internet scams.

Tourists are treated primarily as sources of revenue and are largely taken for granted.

At street level, there is a growing sense that aggression is used to escape accountability when people are caught cheating others, sometimes reinforced by the presence of a sympathetic local police officer.

Long-term expatriates are left uncertain by constant policy reversals. Many of us no longer feel welcome as residents; we are only tolerated for our spending power.

2 hours ago, sikishrory said:

Does common sense require a special room?

What do you put in the room when there is no common sense available?

What they will put in the room is plenty of the same useless idiots that are doing things now, nobody with Innovative or fresh idea's, dead horse floggers. They have no hope of reversing things as they don't have the Brains to know what wants changing !

Pressure is mounting on Thailand's government to tackle increasing competition from Vietnam for European and Russian tourists, with industry leaders calling for a "tourism war room". This initiative, supported by private sectors, seeks to devise a strategic plan to enhance Thai tourism amidst emerging challenges.

Clueless people.

You don't need a war-room, just clean up the joint instead of having most of it looking like construction site, improve safety standards on all types of transportation, make some new attractions, sort-out the alcohol laws, and above all else sort out the rip-off merchants.

In other words to keep it simple... do what the Vietnamese are doing.

Find out what inducements tourists prefer in Vietnam compared to Thailand.

To get valid answers you need to query a broad spectrum of either:

1. Those currently visiting Vietnam who have recently been in Thailand; or

2. Those who have been to Vietnam and have now spent some days in Thailand.

This could be most easily done by market research assistants questioning departing visitors at airports and recording answers of those who had earlier visited Vietnam.

Mere brain-storming methods are likely to involve wishful thinking based upon the prejudices of hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour-guides, civil servants, etc.

Think people actually realising how Thailand works & that's why they're not coming

The scams

The double tier pricing

If driving anything anywhere - blame the foreign person

Hospital prices - so different if a foreigner

Hotels when nearly empty just put up prices instead of lowering them to get the capacity

Government all lip service (like most other arses in countries) but do zip 0

Traffic & safety

Can't even own 51% of your own company with your money

Or land

The visa crap if new or renewal & the reports

I've probably missed a few things but other countries are making it less of an hassle - that's why they're going there

If Thailand can't see or understand that they deserve what they get

1 hour ago, phil2407 said:

Think people actually realising how Thailand works & that's why they're not coming

The scams

The double tier pricing

If driving anything anywhere - blame the foreign person

Hospital prices - so different if a foreigner

Hotels when nearly empty just put up prices instead of lowering them to get the capacity

Government all lip service (like most other arses in countries) but do zip 0

Traffic & safety

Can't even own 51% of your own company with your money

Or land

The visa crap if new or renewal & the reports

I've probably missed a few things but other countries are making it less of an hassle - that's why they're going there

If Thailand can't see or understand that they deserve what they get

You definitely forgot to mention the air pollution during high season. A problem that has existed for decades and are just geting worse every year:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1385196-thailand-faces-escalating-pm25-air-pollution-crisis/

Why does it always have to be a 'war'? Even with tourism?

How about a 'game plan'?

No wonder everyone's so unhappy.