The strong revenue – $29.8 billion in eight months – shows that each visitor is spending more, but safety worries are growing. Bangkok Post reported that two Russian tourists and three members of a Thai family were killed in Chon Buri Province, and a Chinese tourist was kidnapped but managed to escape before being taken across the border into Myanmar.

The Thai government has responded by lowering its forecast for Chinese arrivals in 2026 from 9 million to 7 million. Earlier, the target had been cut from six million to 5.1 million in August.

Despite the slowdown, Thailand still aims to attract 33 million tourists and generate 1.55 trillion baht in tourism revenue by 2026.

The combination of fewer arrivals and safety incidents has prompted the government to revise its visitor forecasts, indicating that concerns over personal security can directly affect tourism performance even when overall spending remains high.