Southeast Asia's second largest economy lowers 2025 tourism revenue forecast

The updated forecast reflects a return to pre-Covid levels, comprising 2 trillion THB from international tourists and 1 trillion THB from domestic travelers.

The ministry's permanent secretary Nattareeya Thaweewong said it has instructed the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to revise its marketing plan for the second half of 2025 due to a number of factors, including concerns over tourism safety and earthquakes, as well as external influences such as U.S. President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs.

She went on to say that the ministry and the TAT will finalize the revised marketing plan by May. This direct approach is expected to be more efficient than holding a workshop, which requires gathering all relevant stakeholders at once. The TAT's key performance indicators (KPIs) will also be adjusted to focus more specifically on the number of tourist arrivals and tourism-generated income.

The TAT must reorient its objectives to place greater emphasis on attracting high-spending tourists, particularly those from the Middle East, who often travel as families for medical tourism in Thailand, she said.

Target markets like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and several European countries that currently do not travel to the U.S. should be actively encouraged to visit Thailand instead—particularly Spain, Germany, Sweden, the U.K., as well as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Nattareeya added that the TAT will reduce expenditure on events in underperforming markets to ensure a more efficient allocation of resources.

Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, eyes 38-39 million foreign arrivals this year.