If you’re visiting Thailand soon, you won’t want to miss our handy 3-week itinerary too.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Sources: We will mention where we got the source for each statistic, or you can scroll down to the end of this post for all the references and research data used.
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In 2022, Thailand had 11.2 million inbound arrivals, a 72% decrease from 2019, when it received 39.8 international arrivals.
What is the rank of Thailand in tourism?
Thailand is the 8th most visited country worldwide. It recorded 39.8 million overseas arrivals in 2019.
Meanwhile, Bangkok is the second most visited city in the world, with 21.2 million visitors. This should be no surprise considering the myriad of activities and attractions in Bangkok.
Which country travels to Thailand the most?
Between January and October 2023, the country that visits Thailand the most is Malaysia (3.65 million visitors).
How much does travel and tourism contribute to Thailand GDP?
The latest figures are yet to be found out, but in 2019, travel and tourism contributed 21.9% to GDP of Thailand.
In total in 2021, the the tourism industry's contribution to Thai GDP was approximately 356 billion Thai baht.
At a glance: Thailand travel and tourism statistics
In 2022, Thailand had 11.2 million inbound arrivals, a 72% decrease from 2019.
The most visited region in Thailand for foreign visitors is Bangkok, with 17.36 million visitors from January to August 2023.
Bangkok is the second most visited city in the world, with 21.2 million visitors.
Between January and October 2023, the country that visits Thailand the most is Malaysia (3.65 million visitors).
In September 2023, Thailand received around 19.51 million local tourists, a slight derease from August 2023.
The number of outbound travelers in Thailand increased steadily from 2013 to 2021, from 6 million to 9.1 million.
In 2021, the tourism industry directly contributed to around 136 billion Thai baht to the country’s GDP.
The latest figures are yet to be found out, but in 2019, travel and tourism contributed 21.9% to GDP of Thailand.
In 2019, hotels were the most preferred accommodation for international tourists when visiting Thailand, with 34.46 million tourists staying in hotels.
From January to August 2023, the most popular region in Thailand for domestic tourists was central Thailand, with 55 million domestic visitors during that period.
Thailand inbound tourism statistics
How many tourists visit Thailand every year?
1. In 2022, Thailand had 11.2 million inbound arrivals, a 72% decrease from 2019.
[UNWTO]
2. In total from January to October 2023, Thailand welcomed 22.2 million foreign tourists, a significant increase from 7.1 million international tourists between January to October 2022.
[Ministry of Tourism and Sports]
3. The most visited region in Thailand for foreign visitors is Bangkok, with 17.36 million visitors from January to August 2023.
[Statista]
4. Bangkok is the second most visited city in the world, with 21.2 million visitors.
[Atlys]
Bangkok is just behind Hong Kong (26.6 million visitors) and ahead of London (19.2 million visitors).
In 2021, Bangkok was in the first place but has since been replaced by Hong Kong.
5. Thailand is the 8th most visited country worldwide. It recorded 39.8 overseas arrivals in 2019.
[World Population Review]
Demographics of tourists in Thailand
Which country travels to Thailand the most?
6. Between January and October 2023, the country that visits Thailand the most is Malaysia (3.65 million visitors).
[Ministry of Tourism and Sports]
7. The second leading foreign tourist market in Thailand is China, with 2.78 million Chinese tourists visiting Thailand from January to October 2023.
[Ministry of Tourism and Sports]
8. The Republic of Korea and India follow close behind, with 1.32 and 1.3 million visitors respectively from January to October 2023.
[Ministry of Tourism and Sports]
9. The US is the ninth country with the highest number of tourists in Thailand.
13. In September 2023, Thailand received around 19.51 million local tourists, a slight derease from August 2023.
[Statista]
14. The number of outbound travelers in Thailand increased steadily from 2013 to 2021, from 6 million to 9.1 million.
[Statista]
15. In Thailand, the number of outbound travel trips as a percentage of total number of households was 40.1% n 2016. This was predicted to grow to 50.2% in 2021.
[Statista]
The outbound trips-to-households ratio in Thailand was projected to grow but did not take the Covid-19 pandemic into consideration. Unfortunately, the latest figures have yet to be updated by official tourism boards.
16. In 2022, 42.63 thousand Thai residents travelled to Indonesia.
[Statista]
17. Based on 2021 numbers, the average Thai tourist in Indonesia spent $5,100 per visit. This is higher than the average $3,100 spent by international tourists in Indonesia.
[Statista]
18. In 2022, Thai airports registered 38.78 million domestic passengers. Domestic passengers made up 61.8% of all air traffic movement in the country that year.
[Statista]
19. According to the European Travel Commission, 52% of Thai nationals who travel are female.
How much does travel and tourism contribute to Thailand GDP?
23. In 2021, the tourism industry directly contributed to around 136 billion Thai baht to the country’s GDP.
[Statista]
This was still significantly lower than its pre-pandemic figures, which was at 1,243 billion Thai baht in 2019.
24. Meanwhile, the tourism industry indirectly contributed around 220 billion Thai baht to Thailand's GDP.
[Statista]
25. In total in 2021, the the tourism industry's contribution to Thai GDP was approximately 356 billion Thai baht.
[Statista]
26. The latest figures are yet to be found out, but in 2019, travel and tourism contributed 21.9% to GDP of Thailand.
[Knoema]
This equalled to 4.9% of GDP growth in Thailand.
27. In September 2023, international tourism receipts in Thailand were 92.06 billion Thai baht, a decrease compared to August 2023.
[Statista]
28. Meanwhile, the tourism receipts from domestic tourism in September 2023 amounted to around 62.5 billion Thai baht.
[Statista]
29. In 2023, the total revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry in Thailand is expected to hit US$ 3.1 billion.
[Statista]
This is higher than the pre-pandemic figure of US$ 2.82 billion.
30. Tourism in Thailand is projected to reach a yearly revenue of US$ 4.02 billion by 2027.
[Statista]
31. Hotels contribute to the largest share of tourism revenue in Thailand, generating US$ 1.34 billion in 2023 alone.
[Statista]
This is a significant increase from the US$ 624 million in 2020, and slightly above the 2019 figure of US$ 1.31 billion.
32. Hotel revenue in Thailand is projected to reach a yearly revenue of US$ 1.76 billion by 2027.
[Statista]
33. In 2023, the second largest contributor to tourism revenue in Thailand is package holidays with US$ 1.09 billion of revenue.
[Statista]
34. Although it doesn’t take up the largest share of revenue, camping has been experiencing a significant growth in revenue, reaching 318% in 2022 and 95.4% in 2023.
[Statista]
35. In terms of average revenue per user (ARPU), the segment contributing the highest figure is cruises, which generated US $635.50 revenue per tourist.
[Statista]
Employment in Thai tourism industry
How many people are employed in the Thai tourism industry?
36. In 2021, the tourism sector in Thailand employed nearly 4 million people, a slight decrease from 2020.
[Statista]
37. In 2022, Thailand ranked seventh worldwide in terms of country with the highest number of people employed in the tourism industry.
[Statista]
Travel accommodation in Thailand statistics
What is the occupancy rate of hotels in Thailand?
38. In 2019, hotels were the most preferred accommodation for international tourists when visiting Thailand, with 34.46 million tourists staying in hotels.
[Statista]
Apartments were also highly preferred by foreign tourists in Thailand.
39. In 2022, international visitors represented 8.23% of the total guests of accommodations in Thailand.
[Statista]
40. In South Thailand, international visitors accounted for 21.8% of all guests of accommodations in 2022.
[Statista]
This shows that the southern region in Thailand was the most popular for foreign tourists in 2022.
41. In 2022, around 17.2% of guests booked their accommodations in Thailand for three months in advance, an increase from 2021.
[Statista]
42. The average daily rental rate of accommodations in Thailand was 1063 Thai baht in 2022, higher than the previous year.
[Statista]
43. In 2022, accommodations within the central region of Thailand had an occupancy rate of 49.3%.
[Statista]
44. In 2023, the sales value of the accommodation business in Thailand is expected to hit 2.3 billion U.S. dollars.
[Statista]
45. In 2020, the average length of stay for international hotel guests in Thailand was around 12.54 days.
[Statista]
However, this data was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide, which left tourists stuck at their vacation destinations.
Travel behavior & trends in Thailand statistics
What is the trend of tourism in Thailand?
46. From January to August 2023, the most popular region in Thailand for domestic tourists was central Thailand, with 55 million domestic visitors during that period.
[Statista]
47. The southern region of Thailand had the highest influx of international tourists in 2022.
[Statista]
48. In 2022, the southern region has the highest income from foreigners in all provinces at 143,595 million baht.
[Thailand Government]
49. Meanwhile, the northern region received a total income of 6,756 million baht from foreign tourists
[Thailand Government]
Chiang Mai with the highest income at 4,246 million baht, followed by Chiang Rai at 1,585.4 million baht.
Another beautiful destination in Northern Thailand is Pai, which although is not the most popular, is home to incredible spots and activities.
50. In June 2022, 74% of Thai respondents preferred personal cars as their means of traveling in Thailand, compared to 8% that chose public transportation.
[Statista]
51. The same June 2022 survey revealed that 76.4% of respondents who didn’t want to travel in Thailand was due to the expensiveness of fuel. Only 41.1% stated that they were still afraid of COVID-19.
[Statista]
52. In 2022, airports in Thailand recorded a total of 62.8 million passengers.
[Statista]
24 million were international passengers.
53. According to the Price of Travel Backpacker Index 2023, Chiang Mai, Thailand is the fifth cheapest destination for backpackers, with a $21.45 daily rate.
[Price of Travel]
Chiang Mai costs an average of $21.45 daily, making it a great destination for budget travel!
The daily rate inclues a dorm bed in a hostel, 3 budget meals, 2 public transport rides, 1 paid cultural attraction, and 3 cheap beers as an “entertainment fund”.
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