Indian tourist arrivals fell by more than 10% last month following changes to Thailand’s visa rules, while arrivals from other key foreign markets continued to improve in line with the recovery in flight capacity.
From Aug 1-22, Indian arrivals to Thailand declined by 11.6% year-on-year. However, the decline was an improvement from the 20.2% contraction recorded in July, according to the Bank of Thailand.
Speaking at a briefing on economic and monetary conditions for July on Monday, Pranee Sutthasri, senior director of the central bank’s macroeconomic department, said the decline in Indian tourist arrivals followed Thailand’s revision of visa exemption rules for foreign visitors, including Indian nationals.
In July, the cabinet decided to halve the visa-free stay for tourists, dropping many countries from the scheme while approving new privileges for other nationalities, including Indian tourists.
Under the new arrangement, the 30-day visa exemption applies to visitors from 60 countries.
Thailand also expanded visa privileges for six countries — India, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta and Maldives — and provided equal visa privileges to all 27 member states of the European Union.
In 2025, Indian travellers accounted for 7.5% of international tourist arrivals to Thailand, ranking third behind China, which accounted for 33.6%, and Europe, which contributed 12.4%. The Middle East ranked fourth, accounting for 3.7% of arrivals, according to the central bank.
Mrs Pranee said the central bank would continue to monitor Indian arrivals. From Aug 1-22, India was the only one of Thailand’s four primary international tourist markets to record a decline in arrivals.
During the period, arrivals from China increased by 23.5%, while those from Europe and the Middle East rose by 1.2% and 18.6% respectively.
Total foreign arrivals declined by 0.3% year-on-year, an improvement from the 2.5% contraction recorded in July.
In July, foreign tourist arrivals after seasonal adjustment increased to 2.5 million from 2.1 million in June, driven by long-haul markets such as Europe and the Middle East, as well as China, according to the central bank.
The improvement was supported by a gradual recovery in flight capacity following the easing of tensions in the Middle East, together with stronger travel demand during the summer school holiday in many countries.
Meanwhile, the recovery in tourist arrivals from short-haul markets, excluding China, remained gradual.
Tourism receipts after seasonal adjustment increased by 2.7% in July, in line with the uptick in foreign tourist arrivals.
However, spending per trip declined, reflecting a slightly shorter average length of stay as travel patterns normalised following the easing of the Middle East conflict, noted the regulator.
Looking ahead, the tourism recovery will partially depend on the recovery of flight capacity, which remains constrained, said Mrs Pranee.
Competition in regional tourism markets also remains intense and will affect the Thai travel sector’s trajectory, she said.