India Is Thailand’s Third-Largest Tourist Market – India Report

India has moved up to be the third-largest source market for Thailand in 2024. A record 2.1 million Indians visited the Southeast Asian nation in 2024, nearly 30% more than 2023. The 2024 Indian arrival figures have also surpassed the pre-pandemic high of a little less than 2 million.

About 35.5 million tourists visited Thailand in 2024, according to estimates from the country’s ministry of tourism and sports. This was up from 28.2 million in 2023, and about 4 million short of the pre-pandemic high of almost 40 million. China was the top source market followed by Malaysia.

Indians continue to enjoy visa-free arrivals to Thailand after a visa waiver was announced in November 2023. This waiver was extended in May to continue till November, after which the government announced that Indian arrivals would continue to enjoy visa-free arrival “until further notice”. 

Key Source in Southeast Asia: India was also a major contributor to Malaysia’s tourism between January and November last year. Over 1 million Indians visited the nation during the period, Skift has reported. This marked a 72% increase from 2023 and a 47% growth from 2019 levels. The surge was noted after Malaysia introduced visa-free entry for Indian travelers in December 2023. The 30-day visa exemption has now been extended till December 2026. 

Vietnam has also been a preferred destination for Indian travelers. India was the sixth-largest tourism source for the country