Thailand Welcomes 22 Million Foreign Tourists, Earns 1.08 Trillion Baht

From January 1 to September 19, 2025, Thailand recorded 22.18 million foreign tourist arrivals, down 3.67 percent year-on-year, according to Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul's preliminary assessment. Tourism improved in the week of September 13-19, with nearby markets performing well—Malaysia grew 29.12 percent due to Malaysia Day travel, and Japan surged 55.36 percent as visitors traveled ahead of Silver Week (September 19-23), which includes Respect for the Aged Day, special holidays, and Autumnal Equinox Day. Long-haul markets showed slower momentum as most countries rest before October's high season, though Russia grew 7.59 percent from advance bookings.

During the week of September 13-19, Thailand received 464,200 foreign tourists, up 25,131 from the previous week (a 5.72 percent increase), averaging 66,314 visitors daily. Nearby markets attracted 324,816 tourists (up 8.59 percent), while long-haul markets brought 139,384 (down 0.41 percent). The top five source countries were Malaysia (69,255), China (66,151), India (34,432), Japan (30,494), and Russia (19,531). Malaysia rose 29.12 percent, China grew 1.18 percent, Japan surged 55.36 percent, and Russia increased 7.59 percent week-on-week, while India fell 13.61 percent.

Next week is expected to see a slight decline as Malaysia slows after Malaysia Day ends. However, South Korea will benefit from Chuseok holidays (September 24-26), and China will gain from Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations (September 25-27) and Golden Week (October 1-7), offsetting Malaysia's slowdown.

As of September 20, 2025, Thailand has accumulated 22,183,678 foreign tourist arrivals from January 1 to September 19, generating 1,082,821 million baht in revenue. The top five cumulative source markets are China (3,728,585 visitors), Malaysia (2,831,654), India (1,640,441), Russia (1,230,256), and South Korea (811,246).