Regional travelers from Malaysia, China, and India — not Europeans — are now driving Pattaya’s tourism recovery in 2025. (Photo by Jetsada Homklin) PATTAYA, Thailand — While Pattaya’s image as a European holiday haven still lingers in the local imagination, hard data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports shows a different reality. The city’s tourism survival in 2025 is increasingly thanks to its Asian neighbors—not long-haul European visitors. During the first half of 2025, from January 1 to June 30, a total of 16,685,466 international tourists entered Thailand. That figure marks a 4.66 percent decline compared to the same period last year. Tourism revenue also dipped slightly, falling by 2.31 percent to just over 771 billion baht. In June alone, the situation worsened, with foreign arrivals dropping 15.24 percent year-on-year to 2,322,772. The top 10 countries sending tourists to Thailand during the first six months of the year underscore the shift: Malaysia led the way with more than 2.29 million visitors, followed closely by China with 2.26 million. India came in third with 1.18 million, ahead of Russia’s 1.03 million and South Korea’s 772,000. The UK and the US followed with 572,000 and 551,000 tourists respectively, while Japan, Taiwan, and Laos rounded out the top ten. For the month of June specifically, Malaysia again held the top spot with nearly 400,000 arrivals, followed by China at 306,000 and India at just over 205,000. Singapore contributed 107,000 visitors, edging out South Korea with 98,000. The United States saw 81,000 entries, while Laos, Russia, Indonesia, and Taiwan all clustered closely behind with between 68,000 and 79,000 visitors each. As Asian tourists dominate the first half of 2025, Pattaya businesses shift focus while European travelers take a back seat. In Pattaya, this data reflects a visible shift on the streets. Western tourists—once the city’s economic backbone—now play a supporting role, while short-haul regional travelers from countries like Malaysia and India dominate beachside cafes, water sport rentals, shopping malls, and entertainment zones. Local entrepreneurs report that while these visitors may not stay for months like the Europeans of old, they arrive in greater numbers and continue to spend. Hotels are adapting by hiring multilingual staff and catering more to Indian, Chinese, and Malay tourists. Tour operators now offer customized excursions for family groups and young professionals traveling on short but active itineraries. Even restaurant menus and signage are evolving to include more Asian languages, reflecting a long-overdue recognition of who’s truly keeping the city afloat. Though many business owners in Pattaya still hope for a return of the golden-age European market, the numbers suggest the city’s future lies elsewhere. Southeast Asia’s proximity-driven travel culture has proven far more resilient amid global economic instability, aging Western populations, and shifting travel preferences. And while European tourists remain valuable in long-stay niches like real estate, retirement, and wellness, they are no longer the city’s core traffic. The reality is clear: it’s time for Pattaya to stop romanticizing the past and begin building smartly around the new demographics already here. Still, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is actively working to diversify and equalize the market — with renewed campaigns in Europe aimed at restoring balance between short-haul growth and long-haul potential.