Vietnamese tourists to Thailand decrease sharply

The number of tourists from Southeast Asian markets traveling to Thailand has dropped sharply, especially from Indonesia and Vietnam.

Thai newspaper Bangkok Post commented that these are two important markets for Thai tourism as they are forecast to have high GDP growth and a large young population, and said that a decline in the number of visitors to this country is likely to occur in the short term.

Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Chonburi Tourism Association, said that in the first eight months of this year, Thailand welcomed more than 6.4 million tourists from nine Southeast Asian markets, down 9.4 percent year-on-year.

However, 7 of these markets declined, except for Myanmar and the Philippines, which grew by 18.8% and 22.4% respectively.

Malaysia leads in the number of visitors with 3 million, followed by Laos and Singapore with 630,000 and 612,000, respectively. Indonesia ranks fourth with 550,000; while Vietnamese tourists to Thailand reached 482,000, down nearly half compared to the same period last year. In 2024, there will be more than 1 million Vietnamese tourists traveling to Thailand, a three-fold increase compared to the previous year. On the other hand, in the first 8 months of this year, Vietnam welcomed 296,000 Thai tourists, an increase of 8%.

Tourists outside the Sanctuary of Truth Museum in Pattaya

PHOTO: XINHUA

In Pattaya, most regional tourists come from Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, said Thanet Supornsahasrungsi. Travel agents often sell package tours that combine one or two days in Pattaya with at least two days in Bangkok.

Mr. Thanet said that Vietnamese tourists often stay at mid-range hotels in Pattaya during the low season, with affordable prices from 700 - 800 baht per night (about 500,000 - 600,000 VND).

The decline in some tourist markets in Southeast Asia could be due to the strong baht, as well as fierce competition among Asian countries in launching new attractions to attract tourists.

Thailand's tourism has had a dismal first few months of 2025, with international visitors falling by more than 7% in the past 8 months, with the biggest drop coming from the traditional Chinese market (down about 30%). The reason is said to be due to the country's security concerns, with many cases of kidnapping tourists, burning Malaysian tourists alive in Bangkok with petrol, or border unrest...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khach-viet-nam-den-thai-lan-giam-manh-185250910211534565.htm