Foreign arrivals fall by 2.7% in first five months of 2025
Thailand saw a 2.7% drop in foreign arrivals during Jan–May 2025, but tourism revenue rose 1.05%, with China and Malaysia leading visitor numbers.
Foreign tourist arrivals to Thailand declined by 2.7% year-on-year during the first five months of 2025, although estimated spending rose by 1.05%, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports announced on Wednesday.
Sharp Decline in May
The ministry reported a particularly sharp drop in May, with foreign arrivals plunging by 13.93% compared to the same month last year.
Year-to-Date Overview
From January to May 2025, a total of 14,362,694 foreign tourists visited Thailand—down 2.7% from the same period in 2024.
Despite the decrease in visitor numbers, international tourists generated an estimated 672.629 billion baht in revenue, reflecting a 1.05% increase year-on-year.
Chinese Tourists Still Lead, Despite Drop
Chinese nationals remained the largest group of visitors, with 1.958 million arrivals. However, this figure represented a sharp 32.71% decline compared to the same period last year.
Top 10 Foreign Arrivals (Jan–May 2025)
According to the ministry, the top 10 nationalities visiting Thailand during the first five months of 2025 were:
- China – 1,958,939
- Malaysia – 1,901,464
- India – 978,600
- Russia – 961,143
- South Korea – 673,563
- United Kingdom – 512,181
- United States – 469,388
- Germany – 462,696
- Japan – 444,274
- Taiwan – 430,827
May Figures in Detail
In May alone, 2,266,574 foreign tourists visited Thailand—down 13.93% from May 2024.
Interestingly, Malaysia overtook China as the top source of tourists during May. The top 10 source countries for the month were:
- Malaysia – 385,332
- China – 385,332
- India – 228,544
- South Korea – 91,178
- Russia – 83,627
- Singapore – 76,706
- Laos – 74,364
- Indonesia – 72,807
- Japan – 69,378
- United States – 68,251
