Thailand successfully wrapped up the year with just over 27 million tourists, aligning with earlier predictions by tourism stakeholders. The surge in arrivals was particularly notable in the final two months of 2023.
Between January 1 and December 24, a total of 27,252,488 foreign tourists visited Thailand, hitting the targeted range of 25-28 million arrivals set b the Ministry of tourism and sport at the stat of 2023.
Malaysian arrivals led the way with 4,439,480 visitors, followed by 3,418,732 from China, 1,616,858 from South Korea, 1,587,090 from India, and 1,428,985 Russians. (Whilst Malaysians were Thailand’s most numerous tourists in 2023, many of them come across the southern border, sometimes for just a day or a weekend of touring southern locations like Hat Yai)
During December 18 – 24, 796,808 visitors arrived in Thailand, marking a 16.6% increase from the previous week as the overseas visitors piled into the country for the Christmas and new year celebrations.
Government spokesprson Chai Wacharonke announced plans to boost foreign arrivals in 2024 by promoting tourism across more provinces, making Thailand an attractive year-round destination, and more than just the well-trodden Bangkok/Phuket/Pattaya/Chiang Mai path.
“The goal is to generate one trillion baht from domestic tourism and 2.5 trillion from foreign visitors.”
Thai PM Srettha Thavisin also expressed confidence in the tourism sector’s potential to drive growth in 2024, aligned with government policy.
Vietnam also had a tourism recovery in 2023.
In Vietnam, the number of tourist arrivals is gradually rebounding, but full recovery to 2019 levels is still in the future. The country welcomed 12.6 million foreign tourists in 2023, representing 70% of the pre-pandemic figure in 2019.
December saw a significant uptick, with nearly 1.4 million international arrivals, an 11.2% increase from the previous month and a substantial 93.9% surge compared to the same period in the previous year. Asian visitors accounted for the majority of visitors, with over 9.78 million tourists, followed by Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Africa.
In 2023, Vietnamese outbound travellers reached five million, doubling the 2022 figure. Revenues from accommodation and dining services are estimated at VND 673.5 trillion (US$27.77 billion), making up 10.8% of the country’s total revenues from services and retail, a 14.7% increase from the previous year.
Tourism revenue in 2023 is estimated at VND 37.8 trillion ($1.558 billion), showcasing a 52.5% increase from the previous year. Notable growth in tourism revenues was reported in Da Nang, HCM City, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Can Tho compared to 2022.
