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Thailand Tourism Stats for 2022

Boats on the beach in Thailand

Thailand is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations and, like many global tourism hotspots, was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.  This comprehensive list of statistics about tourism in Thailand provides insight into this key driver of the Thai economy. How has the tourism industry in Thailand recovered as global travel restrictions have been curtailed? What are the key historical tourism stats in Thailand? On this page you’ll find all the key stats you need to know about tourism in Thailand. 

Here’s a breakdown of the statistics you’ll find here:

Thailand tourism statistics (top stats)

    • Prior to the Covid 19 pandemic Thailand received a record number of visitors, 39,916,250 in 2019. In 2021, that number fell to 427,869.
    • In 2019, Thailand received 11,138,658 visitors from China. In the first 8 months of 2022, only 114,596 Chinese tourists visited Thailand.
    • Thailand expects to receive a total of 10 million foreign tourists in 2022 and has already received 4,378,920 for the period of January through August of 2022. 
    • In 2022, citizens of the United Kingdom made up 19.8% of European visitors representing the largest cohort of visitors from Europe. 
    • In 2019, 1.48 million Russian tourists visited Thailand which represented the largest portion of European visitors at 22.7% percent. In 2022 only 87,485 Russian visitors arrived in Thailand representing 8.5% of the total visitors from Europe. 
    • The average per capita visitor spend per day is 5,172 Baht or $167 USD per day as of 2019.
    • The average tourist visits Thailand for just over 9 days. 
    • December is historically the busiest month for foreign tourism in Thailand. In December of 2019, Thailand received over 3.947 million visitors. 
    • In 2020, the tourism industry contributed around 883 billion Thai baht to Thailand’s GDP or approximately 5.67% of GDP
Graphic of Visitors to thailand in 2021 vs 2019

How many tourists visit Thailand each year?

In 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic 39.9 million foreign tourists visited Thailand. This was a record number of tourists for one year. 

Graph showing the annual foreign tourist visit to Thailand per year

How many tourists visit Thailand now?
How many are expected to visit in 2022?

Tourism numbers have increased through 2022 as travel restrictions have been curtailed with Thailand receiving a total 4,378,920 foreign visitors through the end of August, 2022. This number already drastically exceeds the  427,869 foreign visitors that arrived through all of 2021.  The Thai government expects 1.5 million arrivals each month in the last quarter of 2022 and 10 million visitors for the complete 2022 calendar year.

Graph showing visitors to thailand per month in 2022
Foreign Visitors to Thailand 2022
Month# of Visitors
Jan133,900
Feb152,950
Mar210,840
Apr293,350
May521,410
Jun767,500
Jul1,124,230
Aug1,174,740

What nationality visits Thailand the most?

As of 2022 visitors from Malaysia, India and Singapore make up the top 3 nationalities visiting Thailand. Prior to the pandemic the top 3 positions were occupied by China, Malaysia, and India. The biggest change was China falling from a 27.9% share of visitors to Thailand in 2019 to 2.6% in 2022 as the number of visitors from China traveling to Thailand fell drastically from its’ pre-pandemic peak of 11,138,657. 

Visitors by Nationality
2019
RankCountryVisitors%
Share
1China11,138,65827.9%
2Malaysia4,274,45810.7%
3India1,961,0694.9%
4Korea1,880,4654.7%
5Laos1,856,7624.7%
6Japan1,787,1854.5%
7Russia1,481,8373.7%
8Singapore1,150,0242.9%
9USA1,136,2102.8%
10Hong Kong1,090,1212.7%
11Vietnam1,080,6092.7%
12UK946,7742.4%
13Cambodia925,4372.3%
14Germany836,9262.1%
15Taiwan781,6742.0%
16Australia771,7981.9%
17France713,4051.8%
18Indonesia706,9081.8%
19Philippines473,5651.2%
20Myanmar389,3011.0%
Top 20
Visitors by Nationality
2022*
RankCountryVisitors%
Share
1Malaysia642,35114.7%
2India455,76510.4%
3Singapore243,8355.6%
4Vietnam204,8834.7%
5United Kingdom204,2314.7%
6USA187,2054.3%
7Korea184,4634.2%
8Laos175,2274.0%
9Germany157,2953.6%
10Cambodia153,9433.5%
11Australia148,8863.4%
12France131,6253.0%
13Japan116,8412.7%
14China114,5962.6%
15Russia87,4852.0%
16Myanmar80,8471.8%
17Indonesia72,6281.7%
18Israel67,2441.5%
19Philippines62,4481.4%
20Saudi Arabia59,5261.4%
    
  *2022 (Jan-August)

What region of the world do most visitors to Thailand come from?

In 2022, the majority of international visitors to Thailand came from Eastern Asia, 2,110,234, followed by Europe, 1,030,003. The overall percentage of visitors from Eastern Asia fell significantly, with the decline in Chinese tourists.

Map of where visitors to Thailand come from

Here is a detailed breakdown of visitors to Thailand by global region or origin:

2019 Visitors by Region
RegionVisitors% Share
East Asia27,669,96369.30%
Europe6,531,22016.40%
South Asia2,356,9775.90%
Americas1,559,8003.90%
Oceania874,1542.20%
Middle East727,3181.80%
Africa196,8190.50%
Total39,916,251100%
2022 Visitors by Region (Jan – Aug)
RegionVisitors% Share
East Asia2,110,23448.20%
Europe1,030,00323.50%
South Asia544,77512.40%
Middle East259,2075.90%
Americas242,7565.50%
Oceania164,6593.80%
Africa27,2860.60%
Total4,378,920100%

Which European nationalities visit Thailand the most?

For the year-to-date 2022, visitors from the United Kingdom represented the largest portion of European visitors to Thailand with 204,231. Historically, Russian visitors were the largest cohort of European travelers to Thailand, representing 23% of 2019 foreign European visitors.  

European Visitors to Thailand
Country2022* Visitors% share (22)2019 Visitors% share (19)
United Kingdom204,23119.80%946,77414.50%
Germany157,29515.30%836,92612.80%
France131,62512.80%713,40510.90%
Russia87,4858.50%1,481,83722.70%
Eastern Europe84,9298.20%532,9118.20%
Netherlands59,0565.70%230,0063.50%
Other43,7644.20%225,7533.50%
Spain43,2484.20%186,9692.90%
Italy37,8093.70%250,8703.80%
Sweden36,0423.50%279,4514.30%
Switzerland33,9453.30%206,0873.20%
Denmark32,1993.10%159,5262.40%
Belgium24,0682.30%114,0161.70%
Norway22,0892.10%130,5092.00%
Austria18,1901.80%110,6901.70%
Finland14,0281.40%125,4901.90%
Total1,030,003100.00%6,531,220100.00%

How many US citizens visit Thailand?

In 2022 (Jan- August), 187,205 US citizens visited Thailand. In 2019, 1,136,21 US citizens visited.

How much do tourists spend in Thailand per Capita?

In 2019, the per capita spend per foreign visitor to Thailand was 5,172 Baht or $167 USD per day. 

Which foreign tourists spend the most per Capita in Thailand?

In 2019, visitors from Kuwait spent the most spending a per capita amount of $224.16 USD per day.  

Which foreign tourists spend the least per capita in Thailand?

In 2019, visitors from France spent the least per capita amount of $112.02 USD per day.

Here’s the complete breakdown of per capita spends by tourists visiting Thailand:

Per Capita Spend/Day in Thailand by Country of Residence (2019)
Country of Residence$US/Day
Kuwait$224
Egypt$222
U.A.E.$220
Saudi Arabia$220
Brunei$217
Hong Kong$208
Singapore$199
China$197
Bangladesh$187
Myanmar$186
Cambodia$185
Pakistan$185
Sri Lanka$180
Korea$179
Africa$178
Laos$177
India$177
Australia$174
Japan$173
Norway$170
Malaysia$168
Taiwan$168
Israel$167
Nepal$166
Denmark$163
New Zealand$163
Brazil$161
South Africa$158
Vietnam$156
Philippines$154
USA$153
Finland$149
Indonesia$147
Argentina$146
Switzerland$144
Sweden$143
Austria$138
United Kingdom$138
East Europe$137
Canada$132
Russia$132
Netherlands$131
Spain$129
Italy$126
Belgium$123
Germany$116
France$112

How long does the average traveler spend in Thailand?

The average visitor spends just over 9 days in Thailand. 

Which nationality spends the longest amount of time in Thailand?

Tourists from Sweden typically spend the longest amount of time in Thailand with an average stay in 2019 of 19 days. 

Which nationality spends the shortest amount of time in Thailand?

Tourists from Malaysia typically spend the shortest amount of time in Thailand with an average stay of just under 5 days. 

Here’s a complete breakdown of the average trip duration to Thailand:

Duration of Stay
CountryAverage Stay (Days)
Sweden19.15
United Kingdom17.83
Netherlands17.42
Norway17.40
Germany17.37
France17.26
Switzerland17.23
Denmark17.04
Canada17.02
Finland16.99
Russia16.94
Belgium16.80
Austria16.55
Israel15.96
Italy15.09
Spain14.89
USA14.19
Argentina14.07
Australia13.29
Kuwait13.05
South Africa13.01
Saudi Arabia12.83
New Zealand12.58
Brazil12.49
Egypt11.31
U.A.E.11.14
Pakistan10.71
Japan9.79
Nepal9.52
Philippines8.74
Bangladesh8.32
Taiwan8.24
China7.80
Vietnam7.59
India7.43
Cambodia7.39
Korea7.20
Sri Lanka7.16
Brunei7.06
Myanmar6.73
Singapore6.14
Hong Kong6.10
Laos5.68
Indonesia5.68
Malaysia4.81

What is the average occupancy rate of tourist accommodation in Thailand?

Tourist accommodation occupancy in Thailand has increased to 47% as of July 2022 up from a Covid era low of 2.2% set in April of 2020, but well off the 2019 annual average of 71.3%. 

accommodation occupancy rates in Thailand

How many jobs do travel and tourism contribute to the economy in Thailand?

In 2021, the travel and tourism industry contributed an estimated 6.86 million jobs to the economy in Thailand. This was a sharp reduction from the 8.19 million jobs the sector contributed in 2019. 

How much does Tourism contribute to Thailand's GDP?

In 2020, the tourism industry contributed around 883 billion Thai baht which was 5.65% of the country’s GDP. This was a sharp drop from 2019, when Tourism contributed 3,029 billion  Thai baht and 17.9% of GDP.

Graph of Tourism as a percentage of Thailand GDP

What is the busiest month for Tourism in Thailand?

Historically, December is the busiest month for tourism in Thailand with the largest number of foreign tourists visiting. In December of 2019, Thailand received over 3.947 million visitors. During the post-pandemic years 2020 and 2021,  just over 6.500 and 230,000 foreign tourists came to Thailand in December.    

Here’s a closer look at the pre and post pandemic foreign tourist numbers by month:

Graph of Visitors to Thailand by month

Conclusion

There you have it, a breakdown of the major travel and tourism statistics for Thailand. Thailand’s tourism industry appears to be rebounding from the nadir of the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it remains to be seen when numbers will meet or exceed the records recorded in 2019.

Data sources : Thailand Ministry of Tourism & Sports , The World Bank, Bank of Thailand 

Planning a trip to Thailand? Don't forget this.

Emergency medical situations can and do happen.  Don’t forget your travel insurance! I went years without making a claim on travel insurance until a suffered a broken collarbone and racked up medical bills in excess of $15, 000. Fortunately, I had travel insurance!

World Nomads is the best choice for traveling in Thailand with comprehensive coverage for medical, luggage & gear and trip cancellation.  Hopefully you never need to make a claim, but if you do you’ll be beyond happy you were prepared!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you click one of the links and make a purchase we’ll earn a small commission at no cost to you. Just like the travel backpacks we build, we’re very particular . So any products or services we suggest, we test and use ourselves before making any recommendations or endorsements. 

Michael

Michael

Michael manages the gear side of Banana Backpacks and thoroughly enjoys spending his days playing with or dreaming of zippers, fabrics, and buckles. When he's not working on gear, you'll probably find him planning a whirlwind overseas trip or backcountry camping adventure.
Michael

Michael

Michael manages the gear side of Banana Backpacks and thoroughly enjoys spending his days playing with or dreaming of zippers, fabrics, and buckles. When he's not working on gear, you'll probably find him planning a whirlwind overseas trip or backcountry camping adventure.
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Adventure Local, Support Global

 

The adventure and travel world has done a somersault since the start of 2020. It’s left a lot of us feeling a bit dizzy and pausing to consider where to go from here.

International travel is certainly off the table for some time to contain the spread of Covid-19. Yet, as we’re fortunate enough to see lockdowns start to ease in Canada, a number of us are looking towards how we can responsibly get our adventure fix this summer.

For years we’ve fallen in love with glamorous beaches, forests and mountains on our Instagram feeds that are thousands of miles away. There’s something in the exotic that tantalizes, and has made a number of us forget about the jewels in our own backyards. 

The Covid-19 pandemic presents an important opportunity to search for these backyard gems – the places we can safely go to enjoy the outdoors, support local sites and small businesses in their recovery, and, importantly, not pose a health risk to those around us through being mindful and keeping space.

And yet this is also a time for us, more than ever, to realize just how connected we are to those who live across the world from us. A pandemic is a global issue, and it highlights the many global issues that both impact and unite each and every one of us. We’re talking Covid-19, the climate crisis, gender inequality, and the need for equal access to education for our next generation. 

As we continue to support access to education in Cambodia at Banana Backpacks, it’s more important than ever for us to remember this connectedness and the increased impact the pandemic has had on education in countries like Cambodia where school closures have resulted in challenges to access online learning materials because of internet connectivity, and half of all students are now studying for less than 10 hours a week since the shift to home learning. New types of support are needed to ensure students and families are supported, and our next generation doesn’t suffer from their inability to access education during this challenging period.

This August will mark the launch of our newest campaign, My Backyard Adventure, to highlight places loved by our favourite local adventurers and how our Canadian grown and Cambodia supporting Kiri Collection can help support these adventures. We hope this campaign will help all of the somersaulting adventurers and world travellers out there to learn to love their local, while continuing to support their global world. Today’s global citizen may not travel the world, but they can still help change it for the better.

Anika

Anika

Anika manages social impact and partnership work at Banana Backpacks. She spends her days connecting with the Banana Backpacks global community and making sure our gear has a positive impact on the world. When she's not working, you'll find her taking the world's longest walks or setting off to try living in a new location across the world. Presently, she's trying life in Cambodia.
Anika

Anika

Anika manages social impact and partnership work at Banana Backpacks. She spends her days connecting with the Banana Backpacks global community and making sure our gear has a positive impact on the world. When she's not working, you'll find her taking the world's longest walks or setting off to try living in a new location across the world. Presently, she's trying life in Cambodia.
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Responsible Travel | A Guide to Travelling Responsibly & Ethically

Solo man sits on a dock by lake

I always liked to think I was doing my best to be an ethical traveller and travel responsibly. When I took my first big trip in 2010 and was hopping along Southeast Asia’s infamous Banana Pancake Trail, I avoided Thailand’s tiger temples at all costs. I tried to carry my waste out with me when I trekked through the Himalayas in Nepal and through the jungles home to orangutans in Indonesia. When travellers I met would give local kids candy or express their desire to visit an orphanage to help, I would gently encourage a dialogue about the detrimental implications of these actions.

But I still accidentally went to a tarsier “sanctuary” in the Philippines in 2013 that didn’t support their conservation. I only learned 4 years later that there was another sanctuary on the island that promoted responsible tourism with a similar name. I used plastic water bottles without thinking about their impact on the environment or alternatives like using a SteriPen and reusable water bottle. And only on my second trip to Cambodia did I learn that I should pass or receive things of importance with two hands, not one. So much for educating myself on local customs and etiquette before visiting a new country.

I made my fair share of big responsible travel faux pas for someone who was trying to be an ethical traveller – and, let’s be honest, I’m sure I still make a number of new mistakes. While I’m always disappointed in myself for these irresponsible actions, I try to remind myself that I’m still continuously learning and evolving as a responsible traveller.

So, what’s the good news? In today’s world there are so many great guides out there that make traveling responsibly that much easier for both first time and veteran travellers who are hitting the road. To make this process even simpler check out the infographic at the end of this guide!

Don’t want to travel alone? No problem! There are amazing group adventure companies that are increasingly building responsible travel initiatives into their itineraries and the ethos of their businesses. Our fellow Canadian friends over at Free & Easy Traveler always impress us with their incorporation of responsible travel into their trips. They make doing good for the world seem easier than ever before. Here are some of the awesome things they’re doing, and key responsible travel points I would suggest looking into, whether you’re traveling with a group or on your own.

Girl walking to school

Support child safety when you travel

You’re likely to encounter children wherever you travel. And while interacting with them can be a highlight of any trip, your actions can have a big impact on them. So how do you ensure their safety? Start by downloading the 7 Tips for Travelersproduced by the ChildSafe Movement Second, choose tour companies (like Free & Easy) and travel gear (like our packs) made by companies who are certified ChildSafe Supporting Businesses. These businesses ensure that children are protected and that the company’s staff have been trained to take action to protect children. The impact of this? Free & Easy staff who were working in Thailand actually helped to identify and report the forced labour of children, which led authorities to the eventual arrest of a human trafficker in the area.

Clean up the planet on your trip

This starts with not leaving the planet messier than it was before your trip. Bring a reusable water bottle and use refill stations on your trip so you don’t contribute to a swimming pool sized amount of plastic water bottle waste. Say no to plastic bags for your souvenirs and any market finds. Bring or pick up a metal or bamboo straw so you don’t need to use a dreaded plastic straw. Minimize flying where possible, in favour of a more eco-friendly, slower, and often more scenic option. When it is necessary to fly, consider carbon offsetting to at least help counterbalance some of the impact of visiting awesome places! Less is a good option to check out for carbon offsetting. 

Want to take your responsible travel to the next level? Help clean up on your trip with an initiative like Free & Easy’s TrashHero beach clean up on Koh Lipe. This initiative helps prevent more trash from ending up in our oceans and keeps the area clean for the local community. Spend a day making friends, an impact, and a solid travel memory!

Elephant mother and baby

Choose ethical animal experiences

Yup, that means tiger temples are off the itinerary for sure. But what about elephants, you might ask? Who doesn’t love seeing elephants in their natural environment? Don’t worry, this isn’t off the table as a responsible traveller! What matters is how you see elephants, or any other animal for that matter. Riding elephants causes them significant harm and even other seemingly harmless activities can cause them a great deal of distress. Educate yourself on any animal encounters you have planned and whether they have a negative impact on the animals you’re seeing. Choose group trips through companies like Free & Easy that have a strong commitment to supporting animal welfare on every one of their trips to ensure you’re making ethical choices.

Leave an impact when you travel

This one is your chance to get creative! Free & Easy does an awesome job of this through their Party for Prosthetics initiative. Drink beers and give the tabs from these cans to an organization that can use them to create prosthetic limbs for people in need? Awesome. Pick up one of our Khmer Explorer Travel Sets to carry your gear, and support a student’s meals for a year in Cambodia? Awesome. Find an initiative that resonates with you and helps better the planet and the people living on this planet.

10 simple steps for responsible travel

Responsible travel doesn’t have to be hard. Check out this infographic for a few simple steps you can take on your next adventure!

responsible-travel-infographic

Responsible travel isn’t a one size fits all – you can make it uniquely yours and take these basic steps to go beyond doing no harm, to doing good in the world in your own unique way.

What actions do you take to travel responsibly? Tell us in the comments below!