Southeast Asia's 2nd largest economy welcomes nearly 32 million tourists this year

By Hoang Vu December 23, 2025 | 06:52 pm PT

The view at the Mahanakhon Skywalk rooftop in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by Reuters

Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, received 31.76 million foreign visitors so far this year, down 7.25% from the same period a ‌year earlier.

Malaysia was the largest source market with 4.38 million visitors, followed ‌by ‍China with 4.36 million, Bangkok Post reported.

Last week, the Bank ‌of Thailand maintained its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals this year at 33 million.

⁠Thailand saw a record of nearly 40 million visitors in 2019, before the Covid pandemic.

Last year it received over 35 million tourists.

Once a tourism powerhouse in Southeast Asia, Thailand has struggled with setback after setback this year including a high-profile kidnapping of Chinese actor Xing Xing, deadly earthquake and border clashes with Cambodia.

According to Euromonitor International’s latest "Top 100 City Destinations Index", Bangkok clinched the title of the world’s most visited city in 2025, welcoming 30.3 million international tourists.