≡-Thailand’s New Tourism Strategy: Attracting Middle East Visitors To Offset Chinese Decline – Viral of Today

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Home » TOURISM NEWS » Thailand’s New Tourism Strategy: Attracting Middle East Visitors To Offset Chinese Decline Monday, July 14, 2025Thailand’s tourist market is experiencing a giant dilemma in 2025: a drastic decline in tourists coming from China. Chinese travel was once the cornerstone of the tourist-based economy in Thailand, but Chinese tourism drastically declined due to safety concerns and changes in travel behavior. As a means to offset the decline, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is moving in the direction of targeting tourists from the Middle East and Southeast Asia, markets which are known for yielding high-cost tourists and are seen as a crucial element in sustaining the national tourist revenues.Reduction in Chinese Tourist ArrivalsThe Chinese market was always an important market for tourists in Thailand. During the six months until 2025, China was able to send 2.3 million tourists to visit Thailand, down 34% from 3.4 million during the comparable six months in the preceding year. The decline was due to security concerns surrounding events like the abduction of Chinese actor Wang Xing, which saw him abducted in Thailand but later released from Myanmar. The media coverage for the latter event instigated cancellations, which were largely made in the Lunar New Year period.The loss in tourists from China hit the earnings of the tourist market in Thailand, which is financially reliant on markets from mainland China. The largest tourist market for tourists in Thailand was mainland China, but increased competition from Vietnam, Indonesia, and other regional markets, which offer relatively inexpensive holidays, and a challenging political environment, both locally and internationally, for mainland Chinese tourists all contributed to falling tourist arrivals in the country (theguardian.com).Middle East Market as an Opportunity for GrowthRealizing the necessity for widening the base for tourists, Thailand is focusing on the Middle Eastern market, which saw positive growth in the previous couple of years. The market in the Middle East is considered to be a good potential for Thailand due to the fact that tourists from the Middle East are high-spenders. Middle Eastern tourists going to Thailand increased around 18% in 2024, as indicated by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and the TAT is optimistic about future growth. The TAT aims to attract over 1 million Middle Eastern tourists in 2025, an 11% growth from 2024.Middle Eastern tourists are also a very significant contributor to the Tourism Revenue in Thailand, as an estimated 86 billion was spent in 2024 alone. Middle Eastern tourists, on an average, spend well over 100,000 baht for each tourist, in sharp contrast to tourists in other market segments. High spender tourists always require luxury shopping, beach holiday, and wellness, making what is offered in Thailand in destinations such as Phuket, Bangkok, and Pattaya very attractive. Additionally, most Middle Eastern tourists require high-end resorts, spa, and culture, all segments in which Thailand is very proficient in supplying.Revisioning the 2025 Forecast and Revenue EstimatesDue to the weaker-than-anticipated Chinese tourist market, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reduced its 2025 foreign arrival estimate to 35 million, down from an earlier estimate of 40 million. The downward revision reflects added caution in light of issues experienced in the Chinese market. The total tourist earnings are expected to hit around 2.8 trillion baht (approximately US$86 billion), of which foreign tourists would generate around 1.6 trillion baht, and the remainder would be filled by local tourists. Although still an immense amount, the estimate reflects that new initiatives are crucial in order for the nation to meet its economic objectives through tourism.Thailand’s tourist sector is a significant generator for the national economy because the sector contributes roughly 12% to the gross domestic product (GDP). With so much national revenue depending on tourist flow, the need for diversifying revenues from non-China markets is critical.Focusing on Oceania and Southeast AsiaWhile the Middle East will be the biggest offsetter for Chinese declines, both Oceania and Southeast Asia are seen as important regions to concentrate on. Strong growth is predicted in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia, which are traditional big suppliers of tourists to Thailand. Being an important origin market, Southeast Asia has always been a significant driver of visitation, and the additional expansion in regional connectivity and easing in travel restrictions across the ASEAN region will keep on boosting Thailand’s rebound.There is also expansion in Oceania, particularly in Australia and in New Zealand. Australians, in fact, are a steady market leader in foreign arrivals in Thailand, prompted most significantly by proper cultural and business connections, on top of favorable travel conditions. The TAT is hoping to further strengthen such connections through localized promotional campaigns and travel partnerships.2026 and later: “Value Over Volume” StrategyFocusing ahead, Tourism Authority of Thailand will be planning for a “value over volume” 2026 plan, aiming for fewer but higher-value tourists. The plan is based on promoting tourists which are eco-friendly in nature but very high in monetary value for the economy. The target is to record a 7% growth in earnings from tourism, which would compensate for the decline in volume due to declining markets like that in China, but keeping Thailand as an international destination for tourists.Such an approach takes advantage of global trends toward cleaner, greener travel, as international travelers become increasingly interested in sustaining the environment and enjoying sophisticated, as opposed to raw, travel. The TAT’s targeting strategies for green and luxury travel will be attractive to an ever-increasing number of global travelers.Conclusion: The Future for Thailand’s Tourism Industry Thailand’s tourist sector is in a period of transition, and the loss of Chinese tourists was an eye-opener for the market. However, in targeting high-spending markets like the Middle East and the Southeast Asian region, the country is lining itself up for a good rebound. The “value over volume” roadmap for 2026 will shift Thailand to a sustainable and strong paradigm for the tourist sector, and the country will remain a top destination in the future.Tags: Abu Dhabi, bangkok, Chiang Mai, Doha, Dubai, hua hin, Koh Samui, krabi, Middle East, Middle East tourists, pattaya, phuket, Riyadh, southeast asia, Southeast Asia tourism, Thai tourism market, Thailand, Thailand Tourism, Tourism revenue

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