Foreign Tourist Arrivals Rise 3% as India Russia US Surge
The user wants a short summary (1-2 sentences, 120-220 characters, max 240) for a news deck. The article is about Thailand tourism data for Oct 18-24, 2026. Key points: 501,965 foreign tourists, up 2.99% week-on-week. Long-haul markets up 1
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports released tourism data for the week of October 18-24, 2026, showing 501,965 foreign tourists entered Thailand, a 2.99% increase from the previous week, averaging 71,709 daily arrivals. Long-haul markets led growth with 199,954 visitors, up 12.03%, boosted by school holidays in Europe and America and the onset of the winter season. Russia jumped 25.45% and the United States rose 11.52% due to short school breaks. Short-haul markets declined 2.24% to 302,011 visitors, though India expanded 18.09% driven by travel trends and the Hindu festival Maha Navami. Top five source markets for the week were Malaysia (62,724), China (49,494), India (48,089), Russia (34,986), and the United States (20,167). Malaysia grew 1.02%, India 18.09%, Russia 25.45%, and the United States 11.52%, while China fell 24.17%. Year-to-date through October 24, Thailand welcomed 24.93 million foreign tourists, down 4.43% from the same period last year, generating 1.21 trillion baht in revenue. Cumulative top markets are China (4.19 million), Malaysia (3.16 million), India (1.88 million), Russia (1.37 million), and South Korea (912,597). Next week is expected to grow further with the winter season and new India routes including Gaya-Don Mueang, Guwahati-Don Mueang, Kochi-Suvarnabhumi, and Visakhapatnam-Suvarnabhumi.
