BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand’s tourism industry entered 2025 with digital payments firmly established as a core driver of visitor spending and economic growth.
White paper maps shift away from cash
In a joint initiative, the Bank of Thailand and Visa Thailand released a white paper titled “Data-driven insights into tourists’ payment behaviour,” providing a detailed analysis of current trends in travel spending. The study described itself as more than a statistical survey, serving as a strategic guide for stakeholders across the tourism sector and outlining how deeply visitor spending patterns had changed and which opportunities were emerging.
Record card spending and rising digital share
According to the document, card payments in Thailand reached a record in 2024, with transactions totalling 327 billion Baht, equivalent to about 8.96 billion euros based on an exchange rate of roughly 36.5 Baht per euro. The study highlighted that digital payments now accounted for 20 percent of total transaction volume, a significant share for an economy long regarded as heavily cash-oriented.
Security, convenience and higher revenues
The white paper found that tourists increasingly favoured secure payment methods, reducing the need to carry large amounts of cash and strengthening their sense of safety. It also reported that simpler, faster transactions at points of sale removed hurdles such as change issues, contributing to a more relaxed holiday experience.
Infrastructure expansion across the country
To support this shift, Thailand expanded its payments infrastructure nationwide, entering what the report described as a profound transformation that made digital methods more accessible. The country now had more than 900,000 EDC terminals, while over one million QR code acceptance points enabled scan-based payments across the nation, a particularly popular method in Asia.
Reaching hotspots and rural regions
Payment options were strengthened especially where visitors spent time, with coverage in major tourist destinations and large cities reported as almost seamless. At the same time, more small businesses and traders in rural areas adopted cashless transactions, integrating remote regions more closely into the economic cycle and allowing local providers to participate directly in the tourism boom.
Interoperable QR and tap-to-phone
The white paper emphasised the expansion of interoperable QR payments, allowing different payment systems and banking apps to communicate with one another. It also noted that the tap-to-phone solution, which turns a merchant’s smartphone into a payment terminal, was being pushed strongly to lower entry barriers for micro-entrepreneurs and to create smoother payment experiences for all tourists.
Diverse payment habits by source market
The analysis provided insights into differing preferences among visitor groups, stating that Malaysian travellers tended to favour card payments in almost all situations. By contrast, South Korean guests were described as being used to paying almost exclusively by digital means from their home environment.
Recommendations for SMEs and inclusion
One of the key recommendations in the white paper was to broaden payment acceptance at all major tourist sites while improving access for small and medium-sized enterprises, presented as the backbone of Thailand’s tourism industry. The authors argued that supporting the digital transformation of SMEs was essential so that all segments of the sector could benefit from rising revenues and advance financial inclusion.
Call for a unified approach
The document issued an appeal for a joint, unified approach involving merchants, financial institutions and policymakers to establish internationally competitive standards. It said such cooperation would underpin a seamless payments ecosystem in which tourists did not need to consider which app could be used where, and in which both visitors and businesses benefited from transparency and security.
Long-term growth and competitiveness
The white paper concluded that digital payment technology had become a catalyst for Thailand’s tourism revenue boom and showed that the value of digital transactions had not only returned to pre-pandemic levels but surpassed them, indicating a lasting behavioural shift. It stated that by consistently advancing digital transformation and offering tailored payment solutions, Thailand was positioning itself securely for the future, strengthening its global competitiveness as a leading destination while aiming to keep the system accessible and inclusive for both luxury travellers and backpackers.