Thailand Welcomes 17.36 Million Foreign Tourists, Earns $838 Billion
Thailand attracted 17.36 million foreign tourists through mid-July 2025, generating 838.73 billion baht despite a 3 percent decline from last year, with Chinese visitors leading arrivals and new flight routes boosting connectivity.
Tourism Minister Surasak Kham-jairuangkul revealed preliminary assessments showing that from January 1 to July 18, 2025, Thailand attracted 17.36 million foreign tourists, representing a 3.05 percent decline compared to the same period last year, yet generating 838.73 billion baht in visitor spending.
China leads with 2.86 million visitors, followed by Malaysia (2.25 million), India (1.31 million), Russia (1.06 million), and South Korea (631,777). During the week of July 12-18, Thailand welcomed 585,189 foreign visitors, a 4.04 percent increase from the previous week, averaging 83,598 arrivals daily.
Short-haul markets from neighboring countries drove growth with 382,072 visitors, up 6 percent week-over-week, while long-haul markets remained stable at 203,117 visitors. Chinese summer holidays and Taiwan's recovery following Typhoon Bavi contributed significantly to the uptick, with Taiwanese arrivals surging 50.74 percent to 25,201 visitors. New flight routes including Shenzhen-Phuket (increased from 3 to 4 weekly flights), the inaugural Dubai-Bangkok service on flydubai, and Thai Airways' new Amsterdam-Bangkok route bolstered connectivity.
Weekly rankings showed China (107,875), Malaysia (63,181), India (35,114), Taiwan (25,201), and the United States (20,461) as the top five source markets. Minister Surasak noted that Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese, and American visitors increased 8.27, 3.82, 50.74, and 3.57 percent respectively week-over-week, while Malaysian arrivals fell 17.82 percent. Forecasts suggest continued growth in coming weeks driven by extended summer holidays and increased flight availability.
