With the goal of welcoming nearly 1 million Vietnamese visitors by 2026, Thailand has launched a new "trick"

(Dan Tri) - Identifying Vietnam as one of the key markets, the Tourism Authority of Thailand aims to attract at least 900,000 Vietnamese visitors in 2026 with a series of new strategies.

Vietnamese tourists love Thailand and come back many times.

Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Director General of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that a survey of Vietnamese tourists' travel behavior in the 2024-2025 period showed that Vietnam is an important neighboring market, with a high level of interest in Thailand.

Vietnamese guests return on average 3-4 times, often favoring cuisine , beach tourism, historical cultural exploration, massage, spa and night activities.

Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor-General of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), shares new experiences and introduces 5 must-do things in Thailand (Photo: TAT).

In addition to familiar destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai or Phuket, Vietnamese tourists are also increasingly interested in new destinations such as Kanchanaburi, Ayutthaya, Khao Yai, Phang Nga and Krabi.

“Vietnam is a key market in the ASEAN bloc. This is an important foundation for Thailand to develop new products to meet the diverse needs of Vietnamese tourists,” Ms. Thapanee shared with Dan Tri .

Vietnamese tourists experience wearing traditional Thai costumes and making colorful decorative flags at a traditional festival in Kalasin province, northeastern Thailand (Photo: TAT).

According to the 2026 marketing plan, the Thai tourism industry will shift to a “Value over Volume” strategy, focusing on attracting high-spending customers, aiming for sustainable growth.

To do this, TAT has implemented many programs to promote sustainable tourism such as the STAR (Sustainable Tourism Acceleration Rating) project with more than 2,300 participating businesses, the CF-Hotels tool to help hotels calculate greenhouse gas emissions, and the Thailand Tourism Awards (TTA) to honor outstanding service providers.

Thailand launches new strategies to attract Vietnamese tourists

One of the prominent strategies to attract Vietnamese tourists is the “5 Must Do in Thailand” experience package.

Specifically includes:

"Must Taste - Must-try": It's an experience from 3-star Michelin restaurants like Sorn, Yaowarat street food, trendy food streets like Banthat Thong, to the famous Song Wat cultural street with a series of unique eateries and cafes.

"Must Try - Must-try activities": Including experiences such as skydiving from an altitude of 4,000m in Rayong.

"Must Buy - Must-buy products": Including elephant pants, Thai silk, herbal inhalers are popular items with international customers.

"Must Seek - Must-See Destinations": Including the Jurassic World experience in Bangkok or "Jurassic World: Rebirth" filming locations in Trang, Krabi, Phang Nga.

"Must See - Events not to be missed": Including the Loy Krathong festival in Sukhothai, the Vijit Chao Phraya light event, international sports and festivals such as Thailand Marathon, SEA Games Sport & Tourism, especially the Tomorrowland Thailand 2026 music festival - the first time held in Asia.

Along with that, Thailand will diversify its tourism products.

A tourism business from Chiang Mai province (Thailand) introduces Vietnamese tourists to the Yi Peng festival taking place in November (Photo: Provided by the character).

Thailand also launched many new tourism products by road, rail and water.

Highlights include a Michelin-starred food tour on a bus in Bangkok; a 9-day luxury train journey on the Blue Jasmine Rail Journey through Bangkok – Ayutthaya – Uthai Thani – Chiang Mai – Sukhothai – Bangkok; or a cruise on the Suriyan Chandra antique boat along the Mae Klong River, Ayutthaya.

At the same time, Thailand is implementing the "Trusted Thailand" project to improve four pillars such as security, payment, foreign languages ​​and public transport.

The Thai Tourist Police Department has launched the Thailand Tourist Police application with hotline 1155 integrated with SOS, GPS, supporting 5 languages ​​(English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian).

The government also strengthened the security surveillance system with CCTV cameras, established Tourist Assistance Centers (TACs) and built a network of tourism and sports volunteers to support international visitors.

Ms. Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Director General of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), discussed with representatives of tourism agencies of many countries to promote cooperation and enhance joint tourism promotion activities (Photo: TAT).

Celebrating 50 years of Vietnam - Thailand relations

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - Thailand diplomatic relations (1976-2026), TAT launched the program "Thailand: The more you understand, the more you love".

Accordingly, 500 Vietnamese tourists will receive special incentives when traveling to Thailand. In addition, groups of 30 people or more will receive special promotions from the end of 2025 to early 2026.

TAT forecasts that the number of Vietnamese tourists to Thailand will fully recover by 2026, reaching at least 900,000 arrivals.

“With diverse destinations, new experiences and safety measures, I believe that Vietnamese tourists will increasingly stay attached to Thailand,” Ms. Thapanee said.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/muc-tieu-don-gan-1-trieu-khach-viet-vao-nam-2026-thai-lan-tung-chieu-moi-20250920113244971.htm