BANGKOK — Thailand welcomed more than 18.5 million foreign tourists between 1 January and 1 August, generating nearly 900 billion baht in tourism revenue despite a slight decline in visitor numbers from the same period last year, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said Thailand recorded 18,510,243 international arrivals between 1 January and 1 August, down 3.19% year-on-year. Foreign visitors generated 896.2 billion baht in tourism revenue during the period.
China remained Thailand’s largest source market with 3,078,486 visitors, followed by Malaysia (2,373,537), India (1,376,433), Russia (1,100,847) and South Korea (679,064).
During the latest reporting week, from 26 July to 1 August, Thailand received 567,312 foreign visitors, down 2.92% from the previous week, or an average of 81,045 arrivals per day.
The ministry attributed the decline mainly to weaker arrivals from short-haul markets following reports of unrest in Thailand’s southern border provinces and reduced airline capacity on India-Thailand routes, where seat capacity fell 28.6% year-on-year.
Long-haul markets, particularly Europe, continued to grow, supported by new flight connections, including Dubai–Bangkok (Don Mueang) and Amsterdam–Suvarnabhumi services.
South Korean arrivals increased 19.85% from the previous week, driven by family travel during the country’s summer school holidays, making South Korea Thailand’s fourth-largest source market for the week.
