(Bangkok, Thailand, 5th) The Tourism Authority of Thailand released data on the 4th showing that in the first quarter of 2026 (January 1 to March 31), the total number of foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand was 9.31 million, a year-on-year decrease of 2.5%. Despite the slight decline, Thailand remains one of the world's most popular travel destinations.
According to China News Service, in terms of source markets, the top five sources were: China with 1.49 million visitors, Malaysia with 960,000, Russia with 726,000, India with 626,000, and South Korea with 412,000. Among them, China remains the largest source of foreign tourists for Thailand. Affected by external circumstances, Thailand's traditional major tourism markets have yet to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels. As a response, Thailand is accelerating the diversification of its tourist sources and actively expanding into ASEAN, European, and Middle Eastern markets.
Against this background, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has lowered its full-year tourism forecast for 2026: the expected number of foreign visitors has been adjusted to 30 million to 34 million, about 18% lower than the original target; the number of domestic tourists is expected to be 206 million, a year-on-year decrease of about 3%.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand forecasts total tourism revenue in 2026 at 2.58 trillion baht. The bureau's analysis suggests that uneven global economic recovery, insufficient international flight supply, energy price fluctuations, and regional geopolitical changes will continue to have a short-term impact on the tourism industry.