Why Thailand’s Tourist Numbers Fell While Long‑Haul Visitors Rose

Thailand saw fewer tourists overall in the first ten months of the year, even though visitors from far‑away countries increased. This mix of decline and growth shows how quickly travel patterns can change.

Overall arrivals were 4.43% lower than the same period last year. Chinese arrivals fell 24.17% after an Oct. 16 safety advisory from the Chinese embassy about scams near the Thailand‑Myanmar border, which triggered widespread tour cancellations and caused group bookings to fall by more than 30% year‑on‑year, according to The Nation.

During the week of Oct. 18‑24, arrivals rose 2.99% to nearly 502,000. The tourism minister said the increase was helped by a short school holiday in Europe and the Americas and by Thailand’s cooler travel season. In long‑haul markets, Russian visitors grew 25.45% and American visitors grew 11.52%. Indian arrivals rose 18.09% because the holidays matched the Hindu festival Navaratri.

Tourism officials expect more visitors as winter tourism picks up. They are adding direct flights from Indian cities such as Gaya, Guwahati, Kochi and Visakhapatnam to Bangkok’s airports.

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