Thailand Rethinks 2025 Tourism Goals After Drop in Asian Visitors

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.