TAT governor drives Amazing 5 Economy strategy to boost Thai tourism

Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), summarised the Thai tourism overview for the first five months of 2026.

Foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand totalled 14.03 million, a slight decrease of 2.3% from the 14.36 million recorded during the same period in 2025.

This generated THB679.274 billion in tourism revenue.

This decline is the result of unrest in the Middle East, which led to the closure of flight routes, as well as rising energy costs and increased airfares.

These factors caused airlines to cancel certain routes or reduce flight frequencies.

Furthermore, the global economic slowdown has resulted in a deceleration of tourist spending.

For the long-haul market, those directly affected include the Middle East, which dropped by 24.9%, and Africa, down by 4%.

Meanwhile, the European and American markets trended steadily at levels close to 2025.

Markets that continued to grow include the Scandinavian and Eastern European groups, particularly Sweden (+14.3%), Norway (+10.9%), Poland (+16.9%), and Kazakhstan (+8.3%).

As for the short-haul market, the East Asian market showed an upward trend during the first five months of 2026.

The Chinese market rebounded remarkably (+18.4%), bringing 2.3 million tourists to Thailand.

In South Asia, India continued to grow steadily at 8% with 1 million tourists.

However, the ASEAN market showed signs of slowing down (-14%).

The top five tourist markets entering Thailand were: China, ranking first with 2,318,312 tourists (+18.4%), followed by Malaysia with 1,737,938 (-8.6%), India with 1,056,729 (+7.9%), Russia with 946,732 (-1.5%), and South Korea with 539,848 (-19.8%).

Meanwhile, the domestic market saw 85.32 million Thai visitor trips during the first five months of 2026, close to the 2025 level, generating THB89.989 billion in tourism revenue.

This represented a 4% decrease due to the declining purchasing power of Thais.

The oil crisis has made people more cautious with their spending.

Additionally, domestic airlines adjusted or cancelled flights, and long-distance road trips declined, with Thais shifting towards short-haul and more budget-friendly trips.

TAT expects 33 million foreign tourists in 2026.

TAT projected the trend for foreign tourists in 2026 at 33 million, generating THB1.55 trillion in tourism revenue, alongside 200.4 million domestic trips generating THB1.1 trillion.

To drive Thai tourism this year with minimal impact, TAT is advancing the Thai tourism industry under the "Value over Volume" concept.

It is promoting alternative markets in East Asia and South Asia, such as China and India, and the ASEAN market, such as Malaysia, while maintaining the European and American bases.

It is also presenting Thailand from new perspectives or offering new experiences to tourists.

To ensure 2026 marks the beginning of the transition to "The New Thailand", TAT is promoting high-potential markets that generate substantial tourism revenue.

These include Medical Tourism, Health & Wellness, Luxury, Incentive, Sports, and Sustainable Tourism, as these groups possess high travel motivation and resilience to external factors.

TAT governor pushes 5 strategies to fully boost H2 tourism.

Furthermore, it is accelerating the "Amazing 5 Economy" strategy to create added value for the Thai tourism industry.

This includes:

1. Life Economy: Aims to elevate Thailand's products and services to become a Wellness & Medical Tourism centre. It reinforces the "Healing is the New Luxury" campaign, establishing Thailand as a destination for the physical and mental restoration of global tourists.
2. Sub-Culture Economy: TAT conducts activities through various events to penetrate niche markets and market to sub-culture groups, such as UFO Tourism, Pet Parents, and Soul-Healing Tourism, turning specific interests into economic value.
3. Night Economy: The creative night economy extends time and distributes tourism across both major and secondary cities. TAT has continuously organised light and sound events in various areas to draw tourists out to spend at night, such as the Vijit Chao Phraya event, which received positive feedback and successfully generated economic value.
4. Circular Economy: Lays the foundation for a tourism economy designed to circulate resources efficiently using the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle principle. This is done alongside distributing tourists to secondary cities to stimulate spending in minor areas.
5. Platform Economy: Promotes digital-era tourism by facilitating seamless, safe, and convenient travel. It provides secure digital payment services to ensure hassle-free purchasing and payment for tourists.

For the domestic market, TAT has expedited strategy adjustments to stimulate travel among domestic tourists, highlighting community tourism, close-to-home travel, and energy saving.

It is pushing the "Travel Close to Home" campaign to incentivise Thais to travel short distances, reducing energy costs, while distributing income to secondary cities and local communities nationwide.

Regarding the cabinet's approval to cancel the 60-day visa-free measure for 93 countries, which requires each country to revert to its original visa criteria for entry, the majority, comprising 54 countries and territories, receive a 30-day visa exemption for tourism, while 9 countries and territories receive a 30-day exemption under bilateral agreements.

This grants a 30-day visa exemption for their stay.

These countries include major tourist markets travelling to Thailand, such as China, Malaysia, and Russia, where most tourists have an average stay of fewer than 30 days.

Therefore, it is expected not to significantly impact tourism.

For Indian tourists, who must revert to the Visa on Arrival (VOA) criteria, this may affect their decision to choose Thailand as a destination.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has proposed considering a 15-day visa exemption for Indian tourists, as their average stay is approximately 9 days.

Additionally, consideration may be given to visa exemption criteria for new potential markets travelling to Thailand, such as the Middle East and Belarus, which may be granted either 15-day or 30-day periods as appropriate.

However, the cancellation of the 60-day visa-free measure is not yet effective, as it is pending publication in the Royal Gazette, and will come into effect 15 days after its announcement.

All of these represent the direction for driving tourism for the remainder of the year.