Bangkok: Mr. Surasak Panjaroenvorakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, has released the preliminary figures concerning the state of tourism in Thailand for the week of August 9-15, 2026. According to Thai News Agency, the data indicates a total of 19.76 million foreign tourists visited Thailand from January 1 to August 15, 2026, marking a 2.91 percent decrease compared to the same timeframe last year.
This recent week saw a noticeable slowdown in Thai tourism, particularly attributed to the short-haul market. The end of the summer holiday in China and a decrease in travel from Malaysia, in anticipation of the upcoming Maulidur Rasul holiday, were significant factors. However, the influx of Japanese tourists rose for the second week in a row, registering a 13.71 percent increase from the previous week. This uptick is linked to Japan's Yama no Hi and Obon holidays. Conversely, the long-haul market experienced a decline, especially from Europe, as it concludes its summer holiday season. The total number of foreign tourist arrivals was 612,643, representing a decrease of 24,126 individuals, or 3.79 percent, from the previous week, averaging 87,520 tourists daily.
In terms of specific market figures, the short-haul market saw 413,815 tourists, a 1.76 percent decline from the previous week, while the long-haul market attracted 198,828 tourists, a 7.76 percent decrease. The top five countries contributing to foreign tourist numbers were China (123,410), Malaysia (60,049), India (41,047), Japan (30,666), and South Korea (25,858). Notably, there was a 4.67 percent increase in Indian tourists, a 13.71 percent rise in Japanese tourists, and a 5.78 percent increase in South Korean tourists compared to the previous week. In contrast, the number of Chinese tourists decreased by 4.02 percent, and Malaysian tourists saw a 5.05 percent decline from the previous week.