How Thailand Is Rethinking Its Tourism Strategy Amid Vietnam’s Growth

Thursday, July 24, 2025

With nan pandemic, nan nation’s erstwhile flourishing tourism manufacture has seen a important downturn, which erstwhile brought successful millions of visitors each year. The wide number of foreigners to deed nan state during nan first half of this year, 16.6 million, reflects a autumn from past twelvemonth of 4.6%. That represents a greater diminution than neighboring countries for illustration Vietnam, which not only rebounded from nan pandemic but besides amazed everyone by attracting much visitors than earlier it.

As Thailand useful to get its position arsenic a apical tourer destination successful Southeast Asia, policymakers and tourism experts are increasing worried astir rising title from their neighbors, peculiarly Vietnam. With large investments successful infrastructure, specified arsenic nan building of high-speed obstruction links and building of caller tourer attractions, Vietnam is quickly turning itself into different awesome subordinate successful world tourism. This title has prompted statement complete whether Thailand should effort to curtail its fierce tourism strategies and travel up pinch innovative methods of attracting and holding onto world visitors.

Vietnam’s Tourism Surge: A Growing Challenge for Thailand

Vietnam’s tourism manufacture has knowledgeable awesome growth, particularly successful nan post-pandemic era. The state has made important investments successful its tourism infrastructure, creating a robust model that supports sustainable growth. High-speed obstruction connections, caller hotels, and unsocial taste attractions person contributed to nan country’s expanding entreaty to world tourists. Many judge that Vietnam’s strategical attack to tourism improvement has put it up of Thailand successful position of competitiveness.

In contrast, Thailand has struggled to regain nan heights of its pre-pandemic tourism numbers. Despite being a celebrated destination known for its rich | culture, beautiful beaches, and historical temples, nan state has faced a downturn successful tourism, particularly from its largest market, China. The number of Chinese visitors visiting Thailand has drastically fallen, pinch only 2.26 cardinal Chinese arrivals successful nan first half of this year, marking a 34% diminution year-on-year.

Thailand’s Response: Shifting Focus to Quality Over Quantity

The Thai government, recognizing nan request for a strategical overhaul, has launched a caller tourism run titled “Value is nan New Volume.” This displacement successful attraction intends to redefine Thailand’s tourism model, emphasizing quality, sustainability, and equilibrium complete sheer numbers. The run promotes a caller imagination for nan Thai tourism sector, 1 that prioritizes safety, trust, and inclusivity. The extremity is to entreaty to a much discerning traveler, 1 who values unsocial experiences, biology sustainability, and taste immersion.

Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong has outlined respective objectives for this caller direction. By focusing connected nan diversification of tourism offerings, specified arsenic sports tourism, taste tourism, and wellness tourism, Thailand hopes to pull a caller procreation of travelers seeking experiences beyond nan accepted sightseeing tour. Hidden destinations, aligned pinch UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, will besides beryllium promoted to showcase lesser-known, but arsenic stunning, regions of Thailand.

Moreover, nan authorities is placing a beardown accent connected nan information and accessibility of Thailand’s tourism offerings. With world travelers progressively concerned astir nan information and sustainability of their recreation choices, this caller attraction intends to build spot and unafraid Thailand’s spot arsenic a forward-thinking, innovative destination.

The Need for New Infrastructure and Attractions

While Thailand has an established tourism infrastructure, galore experts judge that important investments successful caller man-made developments are basal to guarantee that nan state tin stay competitory successful nan look of location rivals. Vietnam’s emergence successful tourism has been fueled, successful part, by nan improvement of modern proscription networks, specified arsenic high-speed obstruction systems, and nan opening of caller hotels and attractions designed to cater to nan needs of world visitors.

Thailand, known for its taste landmarks and temples, could use from diversifying its tourism offerings. While its historical temples and earthy beauty stay cardinal attractions, nan state must show a caller communicative to entice a changing demographic of tourists. As 1 tourism delegate suggested, Thailand should research niches specified arsenic religion tourism, architecture tourism, aliases intelligence wellness tourism, each of which could entreaty to travelers looking for a deeper relationship to nan places they visit.

Additionally, nan attraction should not only beryllium connected attracting visitors but besides connected creating a sustainable exemplary for tourism that benefits section communities. This attack aligns pinch nan increasing world inclination towards sustainable travel, wherever travelers activity destinations that beforehand biology conservation, taste preservation, and responsible tourism practices.

Shaping nan Future of Thai Tourism

The Thai government’s caller tourism strategy intends to guideline nan country’s tourism manufacture into a caller era, 1 that focuses connected nan semipermanent wellness of nan assemblage alternatively than short-term gains. By emphasizing sustainability, safety, and innovation, Thailand hopes to create a tourism acquisition that resonates pinch modern travelers. This imagination calls for collaboration pinch section communities, backstage assemblage partners, and world organizations to build a much resilient tourism model.

The “New Thailand” concept, arsenic outlined by Minister Sorawong, represents a displacement towards a much inclusive tourism exemplary that offers a wider assortment of experiences. This includes promoting sports tourism, which has gained traction globally, arsenic good arsenic showcasing Thailand’s rich | taste practice and hidden gems. The extremity is not conscionable to retrieve from nan effect of nan pandemic but to create a much sustainable, diversified, and globally competitory tourism industry.

Conclusion: A New Chapter for Thailand’s Tourism

Thailand’s tourism sector, faced pinch intensified title from different countries, must set to a changing landscape. As Vietnam emerged arsenic a important competitor connected nan world tourism stage, Thailand had to alteration its reasoning successful attracting visitors from abroad. Thailand is seeking to regain its accepted spot successful nan ranks of nan highest tourer destinations astir nan world. It hopes to build a tourism manufacture that tin past acold beyond this decade by concentrating connected quality, sustainability, and specialized experiences.

Not simply adventitious tourer numbers, Thailand’s tourism betterment will magnitude only to nan grade that it offers a much meaningful, safe, and sustainable recreation acquisition pleasing to today’s world backpackers. Moving successful this caller direction, nan state hopes to build a early wherever tourism is not conscionable astir numbers but trust, value, and lasting memories.

References: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)