Travellers to Thailand from long-haul markets are poised to help offset sluggish Asian arrivals this year, with seat bookings through the end of March already up more than 10% from the same period a year earlier, say tourism officials.
Total long-haul arrivals this year are expected to reach 11.9 million, after achieving a record of 9.7 million with 28% growth in 2024, said Chiravadee Khunsub, deputy governor for Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
As of Sept 30, long-haul arrivals totalled 7.5 million, up 31.2% year-on-year.
Although high demand during the peak season has driven up hotel prices by 15-20%, bookings from these markets remain strong for the next six months, said Mrs Chiravadee.
She attributed the 10% growth in forward bookings partly to the addition of direct flights to and from North America. Direct flights between Thailand and the United States will resume on Oct 26 for the first time since 2015, after Thailand passed an airport safety audit.
Starting on Oct 26, United Airlines is scheduled to operate daily flights from Los Angeles to Bangkok. Air Canada offers five flights a week on its Vancouver-Bangkok route, and will increase the frequency to daily from Dec 1 to March 26.
She said the new routes are expected to stimulate growth in potential markets along the US west coast, as Los Angeles could serve as a gateway for travellers from San Francisco, Seattle and Portland.
Other carriers are preparing to launch new routes to Thailand, which could increase capacity in this segment, said Mrs Chiravadee.
For connecting flights, the TAT plans to resume partnerships with EVA Air, which has an extensive network to more US cities, such as Dallas – a promising market with a large young population and several universities.
She said forward bookings from Europe in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2026 increased by 5% and 13%, respectively, while those from African markets are by by 17% and 4.7%, respectively.
Although some price-sensitive European travellers have shifted to countries such as Vietnam, Thailand remains attractive to high-potential markets, particularly those focused on sustainability, which is a key direction for Thai tourism moving forward, said Mrs Chiravadee.
From January to March 2026, forward bookings from Germany led among peers with 156,297 seats, up 7% year-on-year, followed by the UK with 117,489 seats, rising 11%.