Southeast Asia's second largest economy sees foreign arrivals down 3%

By Hoang Vu March 24, 2026 | 06:29 pm PT

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Southeast Asia's second largest economy sees foreign arrivals down 3%

Tourists from China dressed in traditional Thai costumes pose as they visit Wat Arun, known as the Temple of Dawn, in Bangkok, Thailand, Nov. 21, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, welcomed more than 8.54 million foreign visitors from Jan. 1 to March 22, down 2.97% from the same period last year.

China remained the largest source market with 1.37 million visitors, followed by Malaysia with 854,438, Russia with 668,479, India with 566,337 and South Korea with 391,040, Nation Thailand reported citing a source from its Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Ongoing conflict‑related airspace closures in the Middle East have forced airlines to reroute or cancel flights on major Europe-Asia corridors, increasing the cost of travel to Thailand.

Luxury hotels across Thailand are rolling out deep discounts to attract domestic travelers amid a drop in foreign arrivals, Bloomberg reported.

Thailand fears a loss of 596,000 visitors and 40.9 billion baht ($1.29 billion) in revenues if the conflict drags on for more than eight weeks.

The country is aiming to attract 37 million foreign visitors this year, a projected increase of more than 11% from 2025 but that target is increasingly at risk.

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