The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand has released statistics on foreign tourists visiting Thailand from January 1 to October 29, 2023. The country reportedly recorded more than 22 million tourists. Unfortunately, this is not the best score like in many other Asian countries.
Tourists mainly come from the 5 neighboring countries
We find Malaysia with 3,619,930 people, China with 2,765,906 people, South Korea with 1,313,117 people, India with 1,296,032 people and Russia with 1,089,988 people. Westerners are fewer in number and this situation may not improve.
Free visa
Thailand has visa waivers in some countries such as Russia, India, China, Kazakhstan and Taiwan. This facility could potentially attract more tourists.
Thailand seeks emerging markets relatives
To increase Thailand’s resilience in the face of unexpected crises, TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) has pursued a strategy of market diversification. This includes exploring emerging markets in Europe, such as Poland, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. Additionally, countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have been targeted during roadshows.
Saudi Arabia has become a “superstar” market for Thailand, with arrivals increasing significantly from 30,000 a year earlier to 100,000 in 2022, following the normalization of bilateral relations between the two countries last year . This number is expected to increase further in 2023, and TAT is in the process of setting up a promotion office in Riyadh to further strengthen this growth.
For 2024, Thailand hopes for 35 million international visitors and return to the impressive progression of 2019
However, Thailand’s tourism ministry said the ongoing war in the Middle East would have a negative impact on tourism with high fuel prices and a rise in the inflation rate globally. The good news is the decline of the local currency against the euro.
