Strong Baht affects Thailand's tourism industry

The strong appreciation of the Baht against the USD is creating significant challenges for tourism - Thailand's key economic sector this year. That is the warning just issued by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).

Accordingly, when the Baht exchange rate increases, tourists will have to spend more foreign currency to spend on goods and services in Thailand, leading to a decrease in demand. Since the beginning of the year, the Baht has increased by about 8% compared to the USD - among the strongest currencies in Asia. FTI warned that the strong Baht will make it difficult for the country to reach the target of 40 million international visitors for the whole year. According to data from officials, the number of tourists to Thailand since the beginning of the year has only reached 23 million. The slowdown in tourism has also caused the country's growth forecast to be adjusted down in 2025.

According to Ms. Nattareeya Thaweewong, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, from January 1 to September 21, 2025, Thailand welcomed a total of 23,450,122 foreign tourists, generating about 1.082 billion baht (34 million USD) in revenue from tourist spending. However, tourism activities have slowed down across all market segments in the past week, ahead of the peak season in October.

Specifically, a total of 496,986 foreign tourists visited Thailand this week, down 68,333, or 12.09%, compared to the previous week. The five countries with the highest number of tourists to Thailand were Malaysia with 101,376, China (70,678), India (44,813), South Korea (23,590) and Japan (23,271).

The number of visitors from South Korea and China increased by 7.32% and 5.59% respectively compared to the previous week. Visitors from Malaysia, India and Japan decreased by 29.29%, 17.29% and 9.74% respectively.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand forecasts that the number of foreign tourists will increase next week, thanks to factors such as the number of Chinese tourists departing before the October holidays and the government's measures to facilitate tourists to Thailand, including TM.6 customs declaration exemptions and incentives and promotions for airlines to increase the number of flights.

Source: https://vtv.vn/dong-baht-tang-manh-anh-huong-toi-nganh-du-lich-thai-lan-100250924093915506.htm