TAT cuts long-haul forecast to 10mn after flight disruptions, sees Phuket winter recovery
Thailand’s tourism agency cut its long-haul arrival forecast to 10 million from 11 million after recent flight disruptions, while saying airlines are planning to resume Middle East flights to Phuket next winter.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has cut its forecast for long-haul arrivals to 10 million from 11 million after flight disruptions over the past three months, according to deputy governor Chiravadee Khunsub.
Chiravadee, who oversees Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, said Thailand had welcomed 5 million long-haul tourists as of June 7, down 1.6% year-on-year. The Middle East market fell 32%, while the European and American markets remained stable.
She said the long-haul market remained resilient, supported by an airline-focused strategy aimed at increasing direct flights from different origins and reducing reliance on a single hub. The Tourism Authority of Thailand said this approach had helped sustain momentum this year.
In 2025, the long-haul market rose 10% to 10.8 million arrivals, generating 685 billion baht.
For Phuket and Krabi, Chiravadee said discussions with airlines and travel agents pointed to positive recovery signs in the Middle East market, with carriers planning to resume flights to both destinations next winter.
She said the agency had instructed its overseas offices to maintain marketing campaigns and direct flights between Thailand and source markets during the low season. Other upcoming services include LOT Polish Airlines’ Warsaw-Bangkok route from October and Scandinavian Airlines’ winter flights to Krabi.
Chiravadee said the fourth-quarter outlook was more promising based on forward bookings, particularly among four- and five-star hotels, even as travellers in the third quarter tend to stay closer to home and wait for global travel sentiment to improve.
