Tourism still a stalled engine

Operators hope the next government will make the industry a priority, writes Molpasorn Shoowong

- MOLPASORN SHOOWONG

In 2025, the Thai tourism industry faced its first contraction since the pandemic, with several setbacks consistently hampering tourist confidence.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand downgraded its forecast for the year to only 33 million arrivals, ending the rising trend from 2021 to 2024, when numbers surged from 430,000 to 35.5 million.

With a new government expected after the general election, tourism operators hope the industry will again become a priority, regaining its role as a key engine of the Thai economy.

FAILED ATTEMPTS

At the beginning of 2025, the government led by the Pheu Thai Party aimed to restore tourist arrivals to the same level as 2019, using the "Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year" campaign to draw 39 million arrivals and generate 3.5 trillion baht.

However, several events prompted airlines to reduce capacity due to weak demand.

The most crucial was Chinese actor Wang Xing being lured from Thailand to a scam compound in Myanmar. This incident sent shockwaves throughout the Chinese market, which experienced a sharp plunge in bookings from the first quarter until the end of this year.