Foreign arrivals decline amid airline upheaval

PUBLISHED : 6 May 2026 at 07:01

NEWSPAPER SECTION: Business

WRITER: Narumon Kasemsuk

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Foreign arrivals to Thailand fell 3.45% year-on-year in the first four months of 2026, with three of the top five markets posting declines of 11% to 23% in April due to unrest in the Middle East, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

As of May 3, total arrivals tallied just shy of 12 million, down 3.45%, while tourism revenue registered 584 billion baht for the first four months, a decrease of 3.28%.

In April, as the industry reeled from adjusted airline schedules, arrivals declined 7% year-on-year to 2.37 million, though revenue still rose 2.94% to 117 billion baht.

The Chinese market remained the largest and recorded the strongest growth of 31.9% to 418,291 in April, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to place greater hopes on China reviving the short-haul market this year.

Malaysia ranked second last month with 309,942 tourists, down 14.5%, generating 5.84 billion baht, followed by India with 206,641 arrivals, up 0.17%, spending 8.02 billion baht.

The Russian market ranked fourth with 137,592 arrivals and generating 8.34 billion baht, while the UK was severely affected by rising jet fuel prices and more expensive airfares, posting a 22.8% decline to 85,059 tourists and generating 6.1 billion baht.

TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the tourism industry is likely to face a prolonged impact from the Gulf conflict, as higher airfares and limited seat capacity affect tourists' travel plans in the short term.

However, overall revenue still grew last month, indicating the industry adjusted, catering to higher‑spending markets with specific interests such as health and wellness, as well as families, she noted.

The Chinese market recorded a strong recovery year-on-year as confidence in travel safety has begun to return, building stronger momentum for this year, said Ms Thapanee.

The TAT still aims to attract at least 5.5 million Chinese tourists this year, up from a record low of 4.47 million in 2025 as visitors from the mainland were put off by scam-related problems.

"We hope to secure at least 5.5 million Chinese tourists this year, with minimum revenue growth of 20%," she said.

"Short‑haul markets have become our main focus and should help shield the industry from sharp declines in markets affected by high airfares."

The cabinet ap-proved the 400‑billion‑baht loan decree on Tuesday and Ms Thapanee said the TAT is preparing stimulus measures under the "Thai Teaw Thai Plus" scheme, aiming to support tourism operators, upgrade tourism products to cater to high‑value tourism, and strengthen purchasing power among local tourists.

The budget and subsidy methods have yet to be finalised, with an outline indicating the scheme may need to focus more on high‑value markets rather than large volumes as in the past, she noted.

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- KEYWORDS

- Thailand tourism

- Foreign tourist arrivals

- Tourism authority of thailand

- Chinese tourism market

- Thailand travel industry

- Thapanee kiatphaibool

- Thai teaw thai plus