Thailand eyes Middle East market to make up for Chinese tourists
'The Middle East market is a supporting factor helping to boost tourism revenue as it currently has a growth of about 17 per cent to 18 per cent,' Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Khiatpaibool said on Monday (Jul 14). 'We need to increase the volume of arrivals from the Middle East and airlines.'
The Tourism Authority lowered its 2025 foreign arrival forecast to 35 million, down from 40 million, due to weaker-than-expected Chinese tourism. Total revenue is projected at about 2.8 trillion baht (S$111 billion), consisting of 1.6 trillion baht from foreign visitors and the rest coming from domestic travellers.
China sent 2.3 million visitors to Thailand in the first half of 2025, down from 3.4 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The decline is linked to safety concerns. News of Chinese actor Wang Xing's kidnapping to Myanmar through Thailand and his subsequent rescue prompted a wave of Chinese New Year trip cancellations by mainland travellers.
Attracting Chinese tourists remains a priority, but the agency is also targeting other markets, Thapanee said. Oceania and South-east Asia are seen as pivotal for boosting demand and offsetting the drop in Chinese visitors.
In 2026, the agency plans a 'value over volume' strategy, aiming for a 7 per cent revenue increase by attracting higher-spending tourists with a lower environmental impact, Thapanee said.
The tourism industry makes up about 12 per cent of Thailand's gross domestic product. Year-to-date tourist arrivals to Thailand totalled 17.2 million as of Jul 6, down 5.1 per cent from the same period a year ago. Tourism generated 794.7 billion baht of revenue in the period, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. BLOOMBERG
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