Foreign arrivals in Q1 grow less than 2% amid negative factors

Thailand welcomed 9,549,004 foreign arrivals in the first three months of 2025, an increase of only 1.91% year-on-year, as the country faces negative factors affecting travelers' confidence, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported on Tuesday.

These factors include the impact of the 8.2-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar, abductions of Chinese citizens across the Thailand-Myanmar border, and the United States' policy of raising tariffs on imported products, which has disrupted global trade, the authority said.

However, TAT reported that foreign arrivals in the first quarter of this year still generated significant revenue for Thailand’s tourism industry, amounting to around 462.74 billion baht, a 10.47% increase compared to the same period last year.

The top 10 countries with the highest number of tourists traveling to Thailand in the first three months of this year are as follows: China (1,331,434), Malaysia (1,153,496), Russia (722,202), India (543,770), South Korea (497,930), Germany (341,242), the United Kingdom (335,116), the United States (320,631), Japan (316,744), and France (315,116).

TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool pointed out that in the first three months, markets showing a decline in foreign arrivals include China and South Korea, while markets showing positive signs include Japan, Europe, and the Middle East.

“TAT is preparing to meet with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to discuss adjusting targets for each market to align with the current situation. However, the overall target of foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand remains at 39-40 million people, as set by the government,” she said.



Thapanee added that although Chinese arrivals were the highest in Q1, the 1,331,434 visitors represent a decrease of about 24% compared to the same period last year, which saw 1,756,337 visitors.

She noted that other destinations popular with Chinese tourists also experienced a downturn, with Japan being the only exception. The number of Chinese visitors to Japan grew due to various factors, especially the weakened yen.

"We should not be alarmed by the decline in the Chinese tourist market, as it is a global trend affecting almost every destination. On the other hand, we should be happy with the increase in high-quality tourists from other markets visiting Thailand," she said.

(2025/04/09-00:00)