Malaysia has overtaken Thailand as Southeast Asia's leading tourism destination after Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand plummeted by 34.13% in the first half of 2025, with only 2.26 million Chinese visitors compared to Malaysia's 2.3 million arrivals.
Thailand recorded 16.69 million international tourist arrivals from January to June 2025, marking a 4.66% decrease year-on-year, while China dropped from its traditional top spot as Thailand's largest source market behind Malaysia for the first time.
Sisdivachr Cheewaratanaporn, Honorary President of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, estimates that Chinese tourist arrivals to Thailand for 2025 will likely reach only 5 million, significantly below the Tourism Authority of Thailand's target of 6.9 million and the 6.7 million recorded in 2024.
TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool announced a 3.96 billion baht economic stimulus package approved by the Cabinet, including the "Thailand Summer Blast" program with 750 million baht allocated to subsidize charter flights from 15 secondary Chinese cities at 350,000 baht per flight.
The dramatic shift reflects broader changes in Chinese travel behavior post-COVID-19 and economic uncertainties, forcing Thailand to diversify its tourism markets while Malaysia capitalizes on its strategic positioning to attract regional visitors.
