Suche
Mein Konto
Thailand's tourism is shrinking: Chinese stay away, Israel is thriving!
Thailand sees a decline in Chinese tourists in 2025 while Israeli visitor numbers increase. Causes and prognosis.
Thailand's tourism is shrinking: Chinese stay away, Israel is thriving!
In Thailand there will be significant changes in the tourism sector in 2025. The overall situation of visitor numbers has experienced a slight decline, while Chinese tourists are declining sharply. According to Pattaya Mail, the number of Chinese tourists fell by over 41%. From January 1 to May 11, 2025, a total of 12.95 million international tourists traveled to Thailand, down 1.04% year-on-year. These changes are concerning, especially given security uncertainties and recent earthquakes impacting many people's travel decisions.
Chinese tourists' preferred travel destinations have shifted. They are increasingly leaning towards countries like Vietnam, Japan and Singapore. This development could also be favored by the lack of new tourist highlights in Thailand. According to Thailand Tip, the country is seeing a sharp decline in Chinese tourism, with daily arrivals set to fall to a record low by 2025. For example, on April 16, 2023, only 5,833 Chinese tourists came to Thailand, compared to the usual 15,000 to 20,000. Experts warn of an impending crisis and draw parallels to the Phuket boat disaster in 2018.
Economic challenges and security concerns
The decline in Chinese tourism is not only the result of changing travel preferences, but also economic challenges. U.S. tariffs and China's push for domestic tourism are hurting arrivals. In addition, an incident such as the kidnapping of actor Wang Xing has significantly damaged the trust of Chinese travelers in Thailand.
The Thai Tourism Authority is reacting to the developments and looking for ways to improve the situation. This includes inviting 600 Chinese travel agents and opinion leaders to develop new strategies. Yuthasak Supasorn, former TAT governor, highlights the need for improved reputation management and secure communication strategies to restore trust.
Emerging market for Israeli tourists
Israeli travelers are showing renewed interest in Thailand, spending an average of 83,000 baht per person per trip, with an average stay of 18.5 days. In comparison, arrivals from Israel increased by an impressive 125% to nearly 70,000 visitors in the first two months of 2025, marking a new record.
Although Thailand is not yet one of the top five destinations for Israeli tourists, there is strong growth potential. It remains to be seen how the Thai tourism industry will respond to the challenges of the declining Chinese market while leveraging emerging interest from Israel to further the country's economic goals.
For more information read the reports from Pattaya Mail and Thailand Tip.