Thai Outbound Travel Surges 45% YoY in H1 2025, Preference for Short-Haul Asian Destinations
According to a joint announcement by Thai Airways International (THAI) and Mastercard, Thai outbound travel increased 45% year-on-year in the first half of 2025. Travel demand rebounded strongly despite economic slowdown, with one in four travelers taking multiple trips during the period.
Approximately 75% of travelers chose Asian destinations, with top routes including Tokyo (20.3%), Hong Kong (9.4%), Osaka (9.3%), Singapore (8.3%), and Seoul (5.3%), making Japan the most preferred destination for Thai travelers. Shanghai has emerged as an alternative destination with over 80% growth due to visa-free policies and affordable costs, offering travel expenses approximately one-third of Japan’s level.
Thai Tourist Arrivals to Japan Show Steady Growth
According to JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) data, over 730,000 Thai tourists visited Japan from January to July 2025, representing an 8.5% year-on-year increase, positioning Thailand as Japan’s sixth-largest inbound market. In July alone, 48,600 Thai visitors arrived, ranking Thailand ninth among the top ten source markets for Japan.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Implements Special Marketing Initiatives to Attract Foreign Tourists
TAT is accelerating Thailand’s tourism recovery and expanding year-end tourist demand through global marketing campaigns targeting high-spending markets (China, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Middle East, etc.) in partnership with Central Group. The initiative aims to attract over 1.5 million tourists and generate 5.2 billion baht in revenue by offering special year-end consumer benefits across Central Group’s private and retail sectors.
Meanwhile, TAT is launching its second consecutive ‘Nihao Month’ campaign for China’s National Day Golden Week (September 26 – October 8), targeting high-spending Chinese tourists from September to December with various promotional benefits including charter flight support from second and third-tier Chinese cities and group incentive tour packages.
TAT anticipates at least 200,000 Chinese tourists during the Golden Week period, projecting tourism revenue of approximately 10 billion baht.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Promotes ESG Tourism
TAT is actively promoting an ESG tourism model through its ‘Village to the World #SustainableAgenda’ project. Moving beyond simple CSR, this structure links community development objectives with corporate sustainability goals, achieving notable results within just two months: attracting over 30,000 tourists to five pilot villages and increasing local income by an average of over 20%.
Through this program, TAT aims to establish Thailand as a ‘sustainable tourism destination’ and plans to implement ESG tourism investment incentive policies, expand corporate-community partnerships, and build a national sustainability ecosystem.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Fosters Travel Tech Startups
TAT held the ‘TAT Travel Tech Startup Networking: Together for Future Travel’ event on September 1, 2025, establishing a networking platform between the tourism industry and travel tech startups to discuss strategies for industry revitalization through innovation. This initiative is expected to build a smart tourism ecosystem and enhance Thailand’s international competitiveness in the tourism sector.
*Source: Korea Tourism Organization Data Lab – Thailand Tourism Trend Report, September 2025
Tourism Scope 