Malaysia has officially surpassed China to become Thailand's largest source of foreign tourists in the first half of 2025, with 2.29 million Malaysian visitors compared to China's 2.26 million arrivals, marking a historic shift in Thailand's tourism landscape.
The Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported that Thailand welcomed 16.6 million international visitors in the first half of 2025, representing a 4.6% decline compared to the same period in 2024, while Chinese arrivals plummeted by 34.1% due to safety concerns and value perception issues.
Among the four countries that sent over 1 million visitors to Thailand, India showed robust growth with 1.18 million tourists (13.8% increase) and Russia contributed 1.03 million arrivals (12.3% rise), demonstrating Thailand's successful market diversification strategy.
Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Chonburi Tourism Federation Association, stated that the rankings are expected to remain unchanged through the third quarter of 2025 and expressed doubts about the Chinese market's near-future recovery.
Despite challenges in the Asian market, Thailand's tourism industry found hope in European visitors, with 4.3 million European tourists arriving in the first half of 2025, showing a remarkable 16.6% growth that signals strong recovery from the region.
