Thailand faces lower tourist numbers

Spending ratio to take centre stage

- NARUMON KASEMSUK

The Tourism and Sports Ministry has instructed the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to overhaul the 2025 tourism marketing plan, which could downgrade foreign receipts from 2.3 trillion to 2 trillion baht, to cope with the weak Asian market that dropped 17% in the first quarter.

According to TAT, Thailand gained 9.5 million international arrivals in the first quarter, growing 2% year-on-year, which generated 471 billion baht, a 7% year-on-year increase.

However, the key Asian markets, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam decreased by 17% on average in the period due to declining safety confidence in Thailand and reduced flight numbers following the end of the Songkran festival.