The Tourism Authority of Thailand has set its 2027 direction around revenue rather than arrivals, targeting at least 5 per cent growth in tourism revenue over 2026 and a 60:40 split of visitors between major and emerging destinations.
The announcement lands as ANZ access to Thailand improves. Thai Airways is due to restore daily non stop Auckland to Bangkok services in 2027, closing a gap that has run since March 2020 and removing the Australian or Asian connection Kiwi clients have needed for six years. Auckland Airport has forecast the route will add more than NZ$250 million a year in visitor spending, and around 48,000 New Zealanders travelled to Thailand in the year to November 2025, up 7 per cent year on year and back to pre pandemic levels. Thailand and New Zealand also signed a strategic partnership on 21 August, with a Joint Plan of Action running to 2030.
That context matters when reading the 2027 targets. TAT entered 2026 forecasting as many as 39 to 40 million arrivals, then cut to a range of 30 to 34 million, and by mid year was working to about 33 million. First quarter arrivals were 9.31 million, down 2.51 per cent year on year. Thailand closed 2025 on 32.9 million arrivals, down 7.23 per cent, with Chinese arrivals falling 34 per cent to 4.47 million and Malaysia overtaking China as the largest source market. A 5 per cent revenue target for 2027 is therefore measured against a reduced base, not a record one.
What will be in market
The clearest sellable product is Unseen Luxperience 2027, launching early in 2027 and aimed at premium travellers. TAT describes it as combining lesser visited destinations with private and exclusive access built around Thai textiles, gems and jewellery, Thai massage and Muay Thai. Departure structure, pricing and distribution have not been released.
Wellness is being pushed hardest. TAT wants Thailand positioned as a Global Health & Healing Destination across medical treatment, science based wellness and traditional practice, extending the Amazing Thailand: Healing is the New Luxury platform already running in 2026. For ANZ agents this is the most immediately usable angle, since it maps onto retreat, spa and medical travel product already selling out of Australia and New Zealand.
Events are the second pillar. Under a 365 Days of Celebration banner TAT will promote music festivals including S2O, Wonderfruit and Tomorrowland alongside pride, art and design, and sport. Three regional festivals are being elevated towards what TAT calls Must-Experience status: the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Procession, the Nakhon Phanom Illuminated Boat Procession and the Sakon Nakhon Christmas Star Parade. All three sit outside the Bangkok and island corridor most ANZ itineraries run on.
Spreading demand beyond the core
The 60:40 distribution target is supported by a programme TAT calls The Link Plus, matching source markets to 19 priority destinations, with a stated goal of lifting international arrivals to those areas by 10 per cent. Signature destination branding starts in Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Songkhla, Trat and Samut Songkhram. TAT will also extend its UNESCO Thailand Network across 29 areas and more than 55 community tourism destinations.
On markets, TAT will manage international demand in three streams: retaining established markets, reshaping others towards higher spending wellness, luxury, family and lifestyle travellers, and rebuilding confidence in markets where it has been damaged. New opportunity markets are named as Eastern Europe, Latin America and additional origin cities, to be supported by improved air and multimodal connectivity. Australia and New Zealand are not named in any of the three streams.
Sustainability work extends destination prototypes to Nan and the Wellness Valley areas and grows the CF Hotel low carbon network, with wider use of an SDG based assessment framework.
TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the direction commits Thailand to competing on quality and long term value rather than volume alone, converting existing strengths in wellness, culture, gastronomy and sustainability into market value.