The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced plans to attract 40 million foreign arrivals in 2025, generating 2.8 trillion baht in revenue in the process. Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong has also confirmed the government will leverage its “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025” campaign to achieve these targets, which represent a 7.5% rise on last year’s arrivals.
Speaking last week, Sorawong noted that achieving 40 million travellers and 200 million individual trips would break new ground in the industry and set a new standard for Thai tourism. Sorawong expects tourism to generate 2.6 trillion baht in tourism revenue in 2025. The kingdom is already on course to meet these targets, with an average of 130,000-150,000 foreigners each day in 2024, and foreign arrivals from Taiwan and India both surpassing 1 million.
Thailand’s top 10 tourism markets in 2024 were China (6.19 million) Malaysia (4.49 million), India (1.90 million), South Korea (1.67 million), Russia (1.49 million), Laos (1.05 million), Taiwan (1 million), Japan (946,292), Vietnam (920,400) and the US (906,526).
The minister expects a surge in tourism spending in 2025 to be increasingly driven by the luxury segment, highlighting the growing popularity of locations like Phuket, where revenue continues to rise. To support this growth, the Finance Ministry will introduce Easy E-Receipts from 15 January to 28 February, allowing shoppers to deduct up to 50,000 baht on bills from their taxable income.
To support tourism growth in Thailand during 2025, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), has rolled out the “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism & Sports Year 2025” campaign. The TAT has also laid out five pivotal strategies to ensure the campaign’s success.
The first is ‘High-Value Tourism’, which involves focus on affluent travellers through luxury experiences, wellness tourism and niche markets such as adventure and eco-tourism. The second is ‘Market Diversification’, expanding outreach beyond traditional Asian markets to attract tourists from Europe, the Americas and emerging regions like the Middle East.
Third is ‘Enhanced Travel Experiences’, with special focus on innovative travel routes, exclusive cultural experiences and seamless digital payment options to improve traveller convenience. Fourth, ‘Leveraging Soft Power’ will showcase Thailand’s USPs like cultural heritage, world-famous cuisine and unmatched hospitality. Finally, ‘Sustainable Tourism Practices’ will constitute an expansion of the existing Sustainable Tourism Goal (STAR) initiative, minimising environmental impact and promoting responsible tourism.
Built around these five pillars, Thailand’s tourism development in 2025 is set to elevate the nation’s offerings to new heights and help the government reach its target of 40 million foreign arrivals in the months ahead.
