Thailand Pivots Tourism Focus to Southeast Asia and Middle East Amid Sharp Drop in Chinese Visitors
Thailand’s tourism industry, long reliant on a steady influx of Chinese travellers, is now undergoing a major strategic shift as arrivals from China continue to disappoint, prompting the kingdom to intensify efforts to attract visitors from Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Recent statements from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reveal that the agency has lowered its 2025 forecast for foreign arrivals to 35 million—a significant drop from the previous target of 40 million—due primarily to the underwhelming recovery of the Chinese market. This new reality is reshaping both marketing and investment priorities for Thailand’s second-largest economic sector, with implications for businesses, workers, and communities nationwide (South China Morning Post; Bloomberg).