Thailand records almost 25 million foreign visitors through Oct. 24
Arrivals were 4.43% lower than a year earlier, but weekly traffic increased as long-haul markets strengthened.
Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported almost 25 million international arrivals from Jan. 1 to Oct. 24, with visitor spending exceeding ฿1.21 trillion. The arrival count was down 4.43% compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
China accounted for the largest number of visitors over the period, at 4.19 million. Malaysia contributed 3.16 million, ahead of India’s 1.88 million, Russia’s 1.37 million and South Korea’s 912,597.
For Oct. 18-24, Thailand recorded nearly 502,000 arrivals, a weekly increase of 2.99%. The tourism minister attributed much of that rise to long-haul visitors, whose numbers climbed 12.03% to nearly 200,000. Short school breaks in Europe and the Americas, together with the start of Thailand’s cooler travel season, supported the increase.
Russian arrivals rose 25.45%, while the number of American visitors increased 11.52%. Holidays linked to the Hindu festival of Navaratri helped lift Indian arrivals by 18.09%. In contrast, short-haul arrivals fell 2.24% to 302,011, with Chinese visitor numbers dropping 24.17%.
Tourism officials expect further gains as winter travel gathers pace. Direct flights from India are being expanded to meet growing demand, including new connections from Gaya and Guwahati to Don Mueang, alongside additional services linking Kochi and Visakhapatnam with Suvarnabhumi Airport.
