Top News

Southeast Asia’s second most visited country expects 5.1 million Chinese tourists this year

Sandy Verma | August 25, 2026 9:24 AM CST

Thailand expects Chinese tourist arrivals to reach 5.1 million this year, a 14% increase from last year as the country works to restore its appeal and airline capacity, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Siriges-a-nong Trirattanasongpol, TAT executive director for East Asia, said Thailand’s image among Chinese travelers has improved, particularly following visits by Their Majesties the King and Queen and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Bangkok Post reported.

Thailand received 2.6 million Chinese tourists in the first six months of this year, up 18% year-on-year.

Tourists visit Wat Phra Kaew within the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo by Reuters

A recent Dragon Trail International survey of 310 Chinese travel trade professionals identified Thailand as the most notable recovering destination this year, followed by South Korea and Japan.

The report said Chinese outbound travel demand continued to grow despite higher travel costs.

Japan received 2.06 million tourists from mainland China in the first half of 2026, marking a 56.4% drop year-on-year amid political tensions, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.

Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second most visited country after Malaysia, welcomed 18.5 million international visitors in the first seven months of the year, a 3.19% decline from a year earlier, as safety concerns and reduced flight capacity from India weighed on tourism, Nation Thailand reported.