THAILAND – Thailand welcomed more than 25 million international visitors by October 12, 2025, generating 1.159 trillion baht (about €28.7 billion), the Tourism Ministry reported.
Visitor numbers and revenue
The ministry released figures covering the period from January 1 to October 12, showing that inbound tourism produced substantial revenue despite a modest drop in arrivals compared with a year earlier. Total visitor numbers fell 7.54% year on year, but tourism receipts reached 1.159 trillion baht, underlining the sector’s continued importance to the economy.
Top source markets
Malaysia had become the largest source market in 2025, supplying 3,608,943 visitors, narrowly ahead of China with 3,582,322 arrivals. India was third with 1,850,318 visitors, followed by Russia (1,319,164) and South Korea (1,205,556).
Sharp weekly slowdown after holiday season
Arrivals fell sharply in the week of October 6–12, when just 522,169 visitors arrived — a 13.63% decline from the previous week. The ministry attributed the drop mainly to the end of holiday periods in several key markets. In that week Malaysia recorded a 7.31% increase in arrivals, while China plunged 46.93%. India and South Korea also saw notable weekly falls of 25.67% and 30.01% respectively.
Reasons behind Malaysia overtaking China
Officials pointed to geographic proximity and lower travel costs for Malaysians as factors in the shift at the top of the rankings. Deeper economic integration across ASEAN was also cited as supporting travel within the region. By contrast, the ministry said China faced economic headwinds that had dampened outbound travel, and that political and safety concerns may have further restrained some Chinese tourist flows.
Outlook for year end
Looking ahead, the ministry expected a degree of stabilization and fresh momentum from seasonal events. The Diwali festival in India and the arrival of the high season for long-haul tourists were forecast to lift arrivals. The government had taken steps to ease travel, including removing the TM6 arrival card and encouraging airlines to add more flights to Thailand.
Economic implications
Tourism remained a key engine for Thailand’s economy. The ministry said the 1.159 trillion baht in receipts flowed into hotels, restaurants, transport businesses and local markets, supporting jobs and livelihoods across the country. Despite the year-on-year dip in visitor numbers, industry officials were cautiously optimistic that stronger performance in the final months could push total arrivals past last year’s 33.4 million international visitors.