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Minister Sorawong Thienthong chairs a high-level meeting with key tourism industry leaders to address the decline in foreign tourist arrivals.
PATTAYA, Thailand – Minister of Tourism and Sports, Sorawong Thienthong, chaired an urgent meeting with key private-sector tourism associations—such as the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), the Thai Hotels Association (THA), the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), and the Airline Association of Thailand—to address the growing concerns over the sharp slowdown in foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand.
Minister Sorawong acknowledged that the situation is reaching a crisis point. From January 1 to April 27, 2025, Thailand recorded 11,841,911 international visitors—an increase of just 0.12% compared to the same period last year. Despite the stagnation in numbers, total revenue from foreign tourists reached 565.6 billion baht, reflecting a trend toward higher-spending, quality tourists. The top five source markets during this period were China (1.6 million), Malaysia (1.48 million), Russia (865,634), India (729,414), and South Korea (571,409).
The Minister attributed the drop in tourist numbers mainly to safety concerns and negative perceptions spread through international media, particularly in Chinese and English, sometimes due to mistranslations. He emphasized the importance of collaboration across all sectors to improve Thailand’s global image and communicate accurate, positive news.
Addressing complaints about the rising costs of travel in Thailand—including accommodation, tourist attractions, and airfare— Sorawong stated that the focus should be on value and fairness rather than low prices. He also proposed reducing the excise tax on aviation fuel and increasing charter flights to attract more tourists. Furthermore, discussions are underway with the Ministry of Transport to standardize public transport fares across land, rail, and sea.
Sorawong warned that if negative media trends persist, they could damage Thailand’s overall international reputation beyond just the tourism industry, highlighting the increasing competition from countries like China aggressively targeting the same tourist markets.
From Jan–Apr 2025, Thailand welcomed 11.84 million tourists—just a 0.12% increase from last year, signaling a looming crisis.