BANGKOK, THAILAND – More than 130,000 foreign visitors per day and a clear comeback of Chinese travellers around the Lunar New Year signalled a strong recovery of the tourism sector, as the government shifted its strategy toward high-quality growth and targeted double-digit millions of international arrivals for 2026.
Daily arrivals climb above 130,000
Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Natthriya Thaweevong said the number of foreign arrivals had increased continuously since late 2025 and had remained steadily above 100,000 per day. More than 130,000 tourists now entered the country daily, which, according to Natthriya, had renewed international visitors’ confidence in the destination.
Chinese market stages gradual comeback
A particular focus was on Chinese tourists, whose numbers had fallen in the previous year due to domestic travel directives in China and travellers’ safety concerns. In response, the Thai government had, according to Natthriya, taken extensive countermeasures, including intensified marketing, targeted promotional campaigns, demand analysis and improved safety standards.
China arrivals nearly triple after policy push
As a result of these steps, Chinese visitors gradually returned after a period when only about 10,000 Chinese tourists arrived per day. That figure had now risen to almost 30,000 per day, which Natthriya viewed as a clear sign of regional recovery for tourism.
Mixed outlook for early 2026 from China
The ministry’s Economics, Tourism and Sports Division expected a total of 1,040,321 Chinese visitors between January and February 2026. Of these, 400,321 arrivals were forecast for January, a decline of 39.6 percent, while February was projected to rise by 72.26 percent to 640,000 guests.
2025 figures confirm China’s key role
For the whole of 2025, the ministry put the number of Chinese travellers at 4,473,992, underlining the continued importance of this market for the tourism economy. Natthriya also stressed that the government had fundamentally adjusted its tourism strategy and now focused on qualitative growth rather than pure visitor numbers.
Spreading income to secondary cities
The goal was to distribute tourism income more broadly across the country and place greater value on secondary cities with high potential. According to Natthriya, expanding high-quality tourism and ensuring a seamless travel experience were crucial to safeguarding competitiveness in the global market, and she called for close cooperation along the entire tourism value chain.
Year-round promotion plan for 2026
For 2026, the ministry and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) planned to promote tourism throughout the year, maintain current growth momentum and further align destinations, products and services with international standards.
“In this year we are on the way to a clear success and ask all stakeholders to ensure the best possible care for guests, in order to position the country as a safe, high-quality and sustainable global destination.”
said Natthriya Thaweevong, Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports.
Council projects 34 million visitors in 2026
The Tourism Council of Thailand expected around 9,275,198 foreign arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of 2.9 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, with revenues of 448.57 billion baht forecast to fall at the same rate. For the full year, about 34 million international visitors were projected, an increase of 3.1 percent, with anticipated earnings of 1.64 trillion baht reflecting the same growth rate.