Thailand’s Tourism Ministry has told the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to rethink its 2025 strategy after tourist spending from Asia fell hard — down 17% in Q1.
While overall arrivals grew slightly (9.5 million visitors, up 2% year-on-year), big markets like China, South Korea, and Vietnam all dropped, mainly due to safety concerns and fewer flights post-Songkran.
TAT may now lower its 2025 tourism revenue target from 2.3 trillion to 2 trillion baht, focusing less on visitor numbers and more on quality spenders — especially from Europe, the Middle East, and long-haul markets like the UK, Germany, and Australia.
The new plan will be ready by May and will focus on high-spend segments like medical tourism and long-stay travellers. The Chinese market might even be excluded from targets due to its ongoing slump.
Bottom line: fewer tourists, but (hopefully) bigger spenders.