Thai Outbound Travel Hits Record 559 Billion Baht, China a Key Driver

Record Outbound Travel and Spending in 2025

Thai residents travelled abroad in record numbers during 2025, with outbound tourist figures reaching an all-time high of 13.06 million. Overseas spending by these travellers also hit a new peak, totalling 559 billion baht. These figures, reported by Bangkok Bank's Bnomics Research, represent an 11.4% increase in traveller numbers compared to 2024.

China emerged as the most popular destination for Thai tourists, attracting a significant portion of this record-breaking travel volume. The analysis suggests that factors such as affordability, transport connections, and clear entry requirements played a crucial role in influencing these travel decisions.

China's Appeal Driven by Visa-Free Access and Value

China led Thai outbound tourism in 2025, welcoming 3.06 million visitors and receiving the highest total spending of over 120 billion baht. This popularity is largely attributed to the permanent Thailand–China visa-waiver agreement, which became effective in March 2024. This agreement reduced the cost, time, and paperwork involved in planning a trip to China.

Furthermore, Bangkok Bank's Bnomics Research identifies China's extensive transport network and diverse attractions, ranging from major cities and historic sites to natural landscapes and snowy regions, as additional advantages.

The average spending per trip for Thai visitors in China was approximately 24% lower than in Japan during 2025, reinforcing China's position as a value-for-money destination.

Varied Spending Patterns Across Destinations

While China attracted the most visitors, spending patterns varied significantly across other popular destinations. The United Kingdom recorded the highest average spending per trip for Thai travellers at 131,089 baht, a figure linked to longer average stays for leisure, education, and visiting relatives. Japan followed with an average spending of 51,558 baht per trip.

Despite attracting fewer Thai travellers than Malaysia or Laos, Japan generated substantially more spending, owing to its appeals such as scenery, food, culture, shopping, cleanliness, safety, and efficient transport system, which facilitate independent travel.

Malaysia and Laos benefited from their proximity to Thailand and relatively low costs, with the Laos–China Railway, opened in 2021, enhancing connectivity and reducing travel times.

South Korea Faces Entry Challenges

In contrast to the overall growth, South Korea, which ranked 13th among Thai outbound destinations, saw a decline in visitor numbers. In 2025, 328,000 Thai travellers visited South Korea, a 13.8% decrease from the previous year. This figure is also significantly lower than the more than 559,000 Thai visitors recorded in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Bangkok Bank's Bnomics Research links this decline partly to uncertainty surrounding entry checks. Concerns about unauthorised employment by Thai nationals have led to stricter immigration screening, and widely publicised instances of Thai tourists being refused entry have created financial and practical risks for those planning trips to South Korea.

Implications for Destination Marketing in Asia

The analysis from Bangkok Bank's Bnomics Research highlights that attracting visitors depends on the entire travel process, from finding information and booking flights to clearing immigration and using local transport.

For destinations targeting the growing Thai outbound market, ensuring a straightforward, reassuring, and valuable travel proposition is key to encouraging repeat visits. The performance of China, driven by visa-free access and value, shows the impact of entry policy. Conversely, South Korea's experience indicates how perceived uncertainty at immigration can deter travellers.

Other Asian destinations and operators can learn from these trends by optimising visa processes and clearly communicating entry requirements to maintain their appeal to Thai travellers.