Tourist Arrivals in Thailand Hit 24.42 Million in 9.5 Months
Foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand reached 24.42 million in the first nine and a half months, generating over 1.18 trillion baht in revenue. In the week of October 11‑17, 2026, arrivals rose slightly to 487,410, driven by growth in long‑haul markets such as Russia and the United States, while short‑haul markets like China and India declined. The tourism ministry forecasts further increases next week as the winter season begins.
Foreign tourists to Thailand totaled 24.42 million in the first nine and a half months, generating over 1.18 trillion baht in revenue. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported that from January 1 to October 17, 2026, the country recorded 24,423,680 foreign arrivals, a 4.12% decline compared with the same period last year, while tourism receipts reached 1,189,555 million baht.
For the week of October 11–17, 2026, Thailand received 487,410 foreign tourists, up 0.83% week‑on‑week to an average of 69,630 per day. Long‑haul markets contributed 178,479 visitors, a 10.55% increase, buoyed by short school breaks in Europe and the United States and the start of the tourism season, pushing Russia’s market up 8.29% and the US market up 8.18%; the US moved into the top five weekly source markets. Short‑haul markets logged 308,931 visitors, down 4.04%, with China falling 16.62% after the Golden Week holiday and India down 5.82%, while Malaysia rose 7.65% aided by the Hat Yai vegetarian festival.
The top five source markets for that week were China (65,270), Malaysia (62,093), India (40,721), Russia (27,888) and the United States (18,084).
Looking ahead, the ministry expects next week’s foreign tourist numbers to rise as long‑haul markets benefit from continuing short school breaks and the onset of the winter tourism season, although short‑haul markets, especially the main Asian sources, may remain soft after the recent holiday period.
