BANGKOK — Thailand welcomed more than 4.18 million international tourists between January 1 and February 8, 2026, generating an estimated 207.07 billion baht in revenue, according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on February 10.

Thailand Expands Visa Measures to Boost Tourism and Attract Long-Term Visitors

The 4,185,291 arrivals during the period represent a 10.77% decrease compared to the same timeframe last year, reflecting ongoing challenges in the kingdom’s tourism recovery. Despite the decline, officials noted positive momentum with week-on-week growth and strong performance from key source markets.

China Leads Source Markets

China ranked as the largest source of visitors with 569,987 arrivals during the five-week period, followed by Malaysia (377,860), Russia (340,618), India (285,767) and South Korea (207,357).

Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Natthriya Thaweevong reported that Chinese arrivals have risen sharply for more than five consecutive weeks, supported by government measures aimed at boosting travel. She also cited a shift in travel behaviour among Chinese tourists, with some changing preferred destinations from Japan to South Korea and ASEAN countries.

Thailand is promoting its “Trusted Thailand” certification to highlight safety and reliability for visitors.

Read more: https://t.co/fW8KJuNgLB#TrustedThailand #AmazingThailand #TourismSafety #TravelThailand #TAT pic.twitter.com/eTrYgydirx

— NBT WORLD (@NBTWORLDNews) February 12, 2026

Weekly Performance Shows Improvement

For the week of February 2–8, Thailand recorded 796,978 international arrivals, an increase of 34,586 visitors or 4.54% from the previous week, averaging 113,854 arrivals per day.

China led weekly arrivals with 151,988 visitors, up 30.45% week-on-week. Malaysia followed with 62,745 arrivals (down 20.91%), Russia with 58,945 (up 1.30%), India with 48,396 (up 1.70%), and South Korea with 33,811 (down 7.64%) .

The ministry noted that long-haul travel has also improved, driven by higher visitor numbers from Europe and the Americas.

Supporting Factors and Outlook

Officials attributed the positive trend to several supporting measures, including long-haul travel promotion, the “Trusted Thailand” safety-image initiative, government travel facilitation policies, the TM.6 arrival/departure card exemption, and efforts to encourage airlines to increase flight frequencies.

TAT Invites Visitors to follow Footsteps of ‘LISA’

The ministry expects arrivals to continue rising in the coming weeks. Thailand has set an ambitious target of welcoming 36.7 million foreign tourists for the full year 2026, a 13% increase from the 33 million visitors recorded in 2025, which marked the kingdom’s first annual decline in international arrivals in a decade outside the pandemic period.

-Thailand News (TN)