Visa-processing delays are disrupting Thailand’s long-haul tourism market, particularly visitors from Latin America, with passenger show-up rates on some flights falling by 20% to 30%, tourism-sector sources said.
The delays have prompted airlines to urgently seek a meeting with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) executives to raise the issue and seek assistance. Mexico and Colombia are among the markets most affected, sources said.
Many travellers have not received their visas in time for their scheduled departures, forcing them to postpone trips or cancel tickets. The situation has caused substantial losses and disrupted airline operations, the sources said.
The broader impact is already apparent, with visitor numbers from Mexico and Latin America declining sharply, according to the sources. Several tour operators have withdrawn from the Thailand market and shifted to selling packages to competing destinations such as Vietnam, where entry procedures are seen as more convenient.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is exercising a high degree of caution in considering the Latin American market,” a source said. “The issue is not visa refusals, but a slow system that cannot keep pace with travellers’ departure dates.”
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said the government had acknowledged visa delays affecting Mexico and several Latin American countries.
As a longer-term solution, he said he would propose visa-free entry for Latin American countries and other potential markets — including Colombia, Mexico and Uzbekistan — to the Visa Policy Committee on 9 November.
The committee must carefully weigh security and economic considerations, he said. However, the ministry would seek to expand visa exemptions for countries considered to pose no security risk. Initial approval could allow stays of up to 15 days, based on typical travel patterns in Thailand.
Separately, TAT Deputy Governor for Europe, the Americas, Middle East and Africa Jirawadee Khunsap said Saudi and Middle Eastern visitor numbers had been affected by continued attacks and aerial explosions at Riyadh Airport.
Saudi visitor numbers fell by nearly 40% from the same period in 2025, she said. The Middle East is now the only long-haul market expected to decline, with full-year arrivals projected at 600,000 to 700,000 — about 200,000 fewer than the more than 800,000 recorded in 2025.
Jirawadee said Riyadh Airport had suspended flights amid the escalating conflict, and several international airlines had cancelled services to Riyadh until the end of 2026 or early 2027. About 10 weekly direct Riyadh–Bangkok flights have been temporarily suspended.
Saudia continues to operate nine weekly Jeddah–Bangkok flights, helping sustain some travel to Thailand. Emirates and Flydubai have retained more than 13,471 flight slots, representing capacity of more than 4 million seats, without withdrawing aircraft, she said.
She added that the Middle East market had initially fallen 30% between January and May after the conflict began, but later recovered after TAT confidence-building campaigns. The expected full-year decline has narrowed to no more than 6%, she said.
