Thailand tourism arrivals exceed 22 million as regional travel surges

Thailand has welcomed over 22.18 million foreign visitors between January 1 and September 19, according to Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul. While this figure represents a 3.67% decrease compared to the same period last year, tourism revenue has reached approximately 1.08 trillion baht.

Recent weekly data from September 13 to 19 shows a recovery in short-haul markets, with 464,200 arrivals, a 5.72% increase from the previous week. This growth was driven largely by holidays in neighboring countries. Malaysia saw a 29.12% weekly surge due to Malaysia Day, and Japan experienced a 55.36% increase linked to the Silver Week holiday period.

China remains the largest overall source market for the year with over 3.7 million visitors. Other significant markets include Malaysia, India, Russia, and South Korea. While short-haul travel is rising, long-haul arrivals saw a slight weekly dip of 0.41% as travelers await the peak high season beginning in October.