Thailand's tourism sector saw a week-on-week increase of 4% in foreign arrivals, reaching 482,751 tourists during September 20–26, 2026, according to preliminary data from the Tourism and Sports Ministry. The growth was primarily fueled by short-haul markets, particularly China, which recorded 94,343 arrivals-a 42.62% surge from the previous week.
China remains Thailand's top source market, with over 3.8 million arrivals from January to late September. Other short-haul markets also posted strong gains: Taiwan rose 33.25% to 24,135 arrivals, moving from sixth to fifth place, while South Korea increased 32.73%. These increases were linked to regional holidays, including the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chuseok.
Long-haul markets experienced a seasonal decline ahead of the October high season, with most destinations showing reduced arrivals. Among the top five source markets, Malaysia saw a 13% drop to 60,254 arrivals, and Japan fell 18.5% to 24,853. India bucked the trend with a 17% rise to 40,284 arrivals.
Overall, Thailand recorded 22,666,429 foreign tourists from January 1 to September 26, 2026, down 3.65% from the same period in 2025. The data excludes June 22–25 for both years due to a system failure.
