Thailand could be heading for record year in foreign tourists

Thailand has established itself as one of the world’s premier travel destinations and frequently features in top ten lists. The Southeast Asian country has recently registered a boost in foreign tourists, and 2025 has the potential to be a record-breaking year for international travel to the nation.

There are various factors helping Thailand with this tourism boom, and the recent release of HBO’s hugely popular White Lotus has played a big part.

Huge Increase in Foreign Tourists This Year
To date, Thailand’s tourism figures have never exceeded 40 million foreign visitors in a calendar year. It came close to this target in 2019, and the arrival figures had risen gradually to that point. The post-2020 recovery has now picked up full speed as well, with 35.55 million arrivals in 2024.

A recent report discovered that this year, the Land of Smiles recorded a 5.9 percent increase in foreign tourists in January. There were a whopping seven million international visitors in the first month of the year, meaning that there is strong potential for a new record if that continues. However, it should be noted that Thailand has a low season and a high season, and certain months don’t attract much interest. That’s highlighted by the huge drop of 15.9 percent in February this year compared to January.

Entertainment Industry Has Helped Boost Thailand Massively
Thailand has always embraced the entertainment industry, and there have been plenty of offerings over the years that have inspired people to travel to the country. The Beach is the most famous example of this, with the Danny Boyle picture leading to a massive spike in tourism in the early 2000s.

There have been plenty of other examples of Thai depictions in entertainment in the years since then as well. For instance, Thai Flower is one of the most popular bingo website slot games on the market, and it portrays an idyllic Thai spa setting. It was so well loved that it even inspired a sequel, Thai Flower Megaways.

The most recent example of Thailand being shown to the masses in entertainment is the third season of The White Lotus on HBO. The season was shot in the stunning Four Seasons Hotel on Koh Samui, which is one of the most popular islands in the country. The Mike White creation enjoyed some of its highest viewing figures for this season, highlighting how it reached audiences around the world.

The series was set in Sicily in its second season, and this led to a huge tourism spike on the Italian island. Thailand is expecting to see a similar effect, and this could put the country on track for its best year yet for tourism.

If you’re one of the many people considering a holiday to Thailand this year or next, you don’t have to follow the White Lotus crowd and go to Samui. There are plenty of other great islands to choose from, including Koh Chang and Koh Lipe. There are also some amazing cities to visit, such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai, that offer a different experience.

Photo by Evan Krause on Unsplash

The article Thailand could be heading for record year in foreign tourists first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.