Surasak, Minister of Tourism and Sports, uses the TTM+ 2026 platform to generate an additional 5 billion baht in Thai tourism revenue by bringing together 429 buyers from 58 countries to hold over 15,000 business meetings with Thai operators.
On 10 Jun 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Surasak Pancharoenworakul, Minister of Tourism and Sports, stated that the Thai government places utmost importance on using tourism as a key driver to continuously propel economic growth and national development.
The Thailand Travel Mart Plus, or TTM+ 2026, serves as a crucial strategic forum that offers global investors the opportunity to meet and negotiate business directly with Thai private sector operators. This aims to accelerate economic value creation, distribute funds deeply to communities, and foster sustainable business collaborations. Additionally, Thailand is expanding regional tourism trade by promoting cooperation with the Kingdom of Bhutan.
This also includes ASEAN countries such as Laos and Myanmar to jointly advance the 'Two Countries, One Destination' strategy, which is a vital mechanism to accelerate the growth of Thailand’s and the region’s tourism industries, making the area a magnet for long-term economic investment.
Ms. Thapanee Kiattipiboon, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said that despite unrest in the Middle East and energy price volatility impacting the global economy, TAT continues to build confidence by moving forward with TTM+ 2026 to connect Thai operators with global trade partners. This year’s event highlights the theme 'Healing is the New Luxury,' promoting Thailand’s strength as a health tourism destination alongside advancing the BCG economic model to upgrade Thai products to premium markets.
A clear positive economic sign is the participation of 429 foreign buyers this year, an increase of 5.7%. Notably, new buyers seeking business opportunities have risen significantly by 41.7%.
Especially promising are new high-potential markets from Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. Combined with 428 Thai sellers, TAT is confident this platform will be a key springboard to attract 5 billion baht into the country as targeted, helping to revive and sustainably drive Thailand’s economy forward.
From January to May 2026, 14.03 million foreign tourists traveled to Thailand, a slight decrease of 2.3% from the previous year, generating 679.274 billion baht in tourism revenue. This decline results from unrest in the Middle East affecting flight routes, higher energy costs leading to increased airfares, airline cancellations or reduced flight frequencies, and a slowing global economy impacting tourist spending.
The top foreign tourist source countries are:
1. China: 2,318,312 tourists, up 18.4%
2. Malaysia: 1,737,938 tourists, down 8.6%
3. India: 1,056,729 tourists, up 7.9%
4. Russia: 946,732 tourists, down 1.5%
5. South Korea: 539,848 tourists, down 19.8%
Domestically, Thai tourists made 85.32 million trips, nearly unchanged from the previous year, generating 89.989 billion baht in tourism income, a 4% decrease. This reflects reduced Thai purchasing power amid an oil crisis, leading to more cautious spending. Domestic airlines have cut or canceled flights, long-distance road trips have declined, and Thais tend to travel closer to home and more economically.
TAT forecasts foreign tourist arrivals in 2026 at 33 million, generating 1.55 trillion baht in tourism revenue, while domestic trips are expected to reach 200.4 million trips, producing 1.1 trillion baht in income.