Thailand recorded 23.94 million foreign tourist arrivals from January 1 to October 10, leaving another 12.76 million needed to reach its 2026 target of 36.7 million visitors.
The Economics Tourism and Sports Division reported that foreign arrivals were down 4.04% from the same period last year, while international tourism generated 1.165 trillion baht in revenue, a decline of 2.47%.
The figures were included in the division’s tourism report for week 41, covering October 4 to 10.
Domestic tourism performed better over the same period, with Thais making 157.80 million trips within the country, up 2.38% year on year. Domestic tourism revenue reached 925.782 billion baht, an increase of 3.09%.
China remained Thailand’s largest source of foreign tourists, with more than 4 million arrivals so far this year.
The top 10 foreign tourism markets were:
1. China: 4,078,133
2. Malaysia: 3,039,825
3. India: 1,794,723
4. Russia: 1,306,968
5. South Korea: 878,549
6. Taiwan: 823,886
7. Japan: 792,487
8. United States: 778,853
9. United Kingdom: 750,488
10. Germany: 659,049
In February, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool forecast that Thailand would receive 36.7 million foreign tourists in 2026.
With 23.94 million arrivals recorded by October 10, Thailand remains about 12.76 million visitors short of that figure as the country heads into the final months of the year.
The figures also drew criticism online, with some netizens arguing that tourist arrivals were unlikely to improve if Thailand introduced the proposed 1,000-baht departure tax on international air passengers.
The proposal has already faced opposition from the tourism industry. The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) has called on the Finance Ministry to delay the measure, warning that the additional cost could discourage travel and weaken Thailand’s wider tourism economy.
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