Bangkok, Thailand — Thailand experienced a major boost in tourism during the Songkran Festival 2025, with a sharp 17.61% increase in foreign arrivals compared to the previous week. The spike came as a result of the government’s grand-scale celebrations under the theme “Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2025”, held across key cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, and Hat Yai.
Over 666,000 Foreign Tourists Welcomed in One Week
From April 6–12, 2025, Thailand recorded 666,180 international tourists, an increase of 64,564 people or 10.73% from the week before. This brought the average daily arrival rate to 95,169 visitors, a clear sign of the festival’s success in attracting global attention.
Leading Source Markets
The top five countries with the highest number of arrivals during the Songkran week were:
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Malaysia – 102,106 visitors
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China – 82,274 visitors
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India – 55,158 visitors
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Russia – 40,283 visitors
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United Kingdom – 32,119 visitors
Significant growth was seen in key markets: Chinese arrivals rose by 28.20%, Indian by 23.56%, Malaysian by 10.67%, and Russian by 8.40%. The United Kingdom was the only country in the top five to see a slight dip, with numbers down by 8.49%.
Year-to-Date Tourism Figures
Between January 1 and April 13, 2025, Thailand welcomed a total of 10,738,424 foreign tourists, generating more than 516.5 billion Baht in tourism revenue. The top five contributing countries for this period were:
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China – 1,470,834
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Malaysia – 1,333,596
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Russia – 801,532
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India – 631,820
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South Korea – 533,752
Future Outlook for Thai Tourism
Although a dip in numbers is anticipated following the end of Songkran, several ongoing efforts are expected to maintain momentum. These include:
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The launch of the “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025” campaign
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European school holidays, which are drawing more tourists from Germany, France, and beyond
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The continued suspension of the TM6 immigration form
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Increased international flight availability
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Expanded ease-of-travel measures
Deputy Government Spokesperson Sasikarn Watthanachan confirmed that the government remains committed to enhancing tourism promotion, attracting high-quality tourists, and ensuring widespread economic benefits. Thailand is set to position itself as a world-class tourism destination known for both cultural richness and hospitality.
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