Israel’s recent military attack on Iran is significantly impacting tourism, with a potential 30-50% drop in visitors from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
This decline affects travel to major Thai destinations including Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai.
Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, chief of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), highlighted these concerns, noting a drop from approximately 7,165 visitors in June last year to between 3,500 and 5,000 this June.
These visitors make up around 7% of the total Middle Eastern tourists (excluding Israel) visiting Thailand, a figure which reached about 100,781.
The TAT has set a target of 1,065,000 Middle Eastern tourists for 2025, an 11% increase from 956,000 in 2024, generating around 86 billion baht in revenue.
Tourists from this region typically stay for 10-14 days, spending an average of 104,138 baht per trip. The top activities include shopping, beach tourism, and health and medical tourism, with popular destinations being Bangkok, Phuket, and Chon Buri (Pattaya).
The TAT’s Dubai office manages the Middle East market, divided into Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, and non-GCC countries, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, and Libya.
The attack on Iran by Israel affects air travel in the region, forcing airlines like Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, flydubai, Air Arabia, Oman Air, and SalamAir to cancel, suspend, or reroute flights due to safety concerns. Currently, Mahan Air of Iran is the only airline to cancel direct flights to Thailand, suspending the Tehran-Bangkok and Tehran-Phuket routes due to airspace closures.
Royal Jordanian Airlines, which previously offered direct Amman-Bangkok flights, plans to resume two weekly flights starting in August. If the conflict does not prolong, the impact on tourist numbers and revenue might be limited. However, the timing coincides with the popular Eid Al Adha festival, intensifying the effect of flight cancellations and delays.
Even though some GCC countries may not be directly affected, uncertainty regarding safety and flight routes might cause key markets like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, accounting for over 80% of Middle Eastern tourists, to delay travel plans, reported KhaoSod.
This uncertainty could impact confidence in travel, affecting the economy and the tourism sector, especially hotels in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, and Chiang Mai.
If the conflict resolves by the end of June, a rebound in tourist numbers might occur in July, although full recovery could take more time, depending on the severity and damage of the conflict.
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