Tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport. File photo
Thailand has seen a significant influx of international tourists this year, with over 23 million visitors recorded from January 1 to August 25, 2024, according to the latest figures released for the week of August 19 – 25, 2024.
The increase in tourist numbers has been attributed to several key factors, including visa exemption measures and the removal of TM.6 cards, which have made it easier than ever for people to visit the country.
However, the end of August saw a slight decline in arrivals as the new school term began in several short-haul markets, such as China and South Korea, and the summer holiday season came to an end in Europe.
In the week of August 19 – 25, a total of 622,580 international tourists entered Thailand, a decrease of 54,829 visitors or 8.09% from the previous week. This figure equates to an average of 88,940 international arrivals per day. Despite the weekly drop, the cumulative number of international tourists for the year stands at 23,096,752.
China topped the list of countries with the highest number of visitors last week, with 138,498 Chinese tourists entering Thailand. Other top nationalities included Malaysia (85,014 visitors), India (40,281), South Korea (32,933), and Taiwan (25,835). While there were increases in the number of tourists from Taiwan, India, and Malaysia, with growth rates of 6.39%, 4.04%, and 3.09%, respectively, arrivals from South Korea and China decreased by 13.93% and 11.29%, respectively, compared to the previous week.
Looking ahead, tourism authorities expect a slight increase in tourist numbers due to upcoming travel-boosting factors. These include Malaysia’s National Day holiday, government measures to further ease travel, and the removal of TM.6 cards at land borders. Additionally, efforts to encourage airlines to increase flight frequencies are anticipated to support the upward trend.
As of August 26, 2024, international tourist spending has generated approximately 1,086,786 million baht in revenue.
The Thai government is aiming for a total of 36.7 million foreign visitors by the end of 2024, moving closer to the nearly 40 million visitors recorded in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
The projected income from both domestic and foreign tourists is expected to reach three trillion baht by year-end.
The top five countries with the highest number of tourists (January 1 to August 25, 2024):
- China (4,694,210 people)
- Malaysia (3,189,106 people)
- India (1,334,357 people)
- South Korea (1,226,188 people)
- Russia (1,070,902 people)
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