Thailand Through New Eyes: The Growing Middle Eastern Travel Market
Published August 2026
Middle Eastern travellers are not new to Thailand. For many years, visitors from Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Gulf have travelled here for holidays, medical care, shopping and longer family stays.
What is changing is the scale.
In recent years, their numbers have continued to grow, supported by stronger air connections and increasing outbound travel from the region. Living in Thailand, this growth is becoming more noticeable — particularly in Bangkok, but increasingly in beach and resort destinations around the country.
A Growing High-Value Market
Thailand welcomed around 651,000 Middle Eastern visitors in 2023, already exceeding pre-pandemic levels. By 2025, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) expected arrivals to surpass 850,000.
But the interesting story is not only how many are coming. It is also how they travel.
Middle Eastern visitors tend to stay relatively longer and spend more per trip, with recent TAT figures indicating expenditure of around THB 90,000–100,000 per person per trip. Family travel is particularly important, creating demand for larger rooms, connecting rooms, private villas, convenient transportation and activities that different generations can enjoy together.
Where Are They Going?
Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi are among the most popular destinations, together with Chon Buri and Surat Thani.
Bangkok offers an interesting combination that few destinations can provide in one place — internationally recognised hospitals and wellness services alongside five-star hotels, shopping, restaurants and entertainment.
Walk through certain parts of Sukhumvit and you can see how the city has adapted over the years. Arabic signs, Middle Eastern restaurants and businesses serving longer-staying visitors have gradually become part of the neighbourhood.
Further south, the appeal changes. Phuket and Krabi offer beaches, resorts and private villas, while Koh Samui and Khao Lak provide alternatives for travellers looking for privacy, nature and a slower holiday.
What Are They Looking For?
There is no single Middle Eastern traveller, but several preferences appear consistently across the market.
Family holidays, shopping, wellness and medical care, beaches, Thai food and luxury accommodation are among the attractions bringing visitors to Thailand.
Privacy can also be important, particularly for family and higher-end travellers. Private villas, halal-friendly dining, prayer facilities, Arabic-speaking services and culturally sensitive hospitality can all make the experience easier and more comfortable.
This is where Thailand already has many advantages. From luxury resorts and private pool villas to hospitals, spas, shopping malls and an enormous variety of food, much of what these travellers are looking for is already here.
A Popular Summer Escape
Timing also plays a role. July and August are important travel months for the Middle Eastern market, coinciding with summer and school holidays across parts of the region.
At a time when temperatures in many Gulf countries can become extremely high, Thailand offers a very different environment — tropical greenery, beaches, resorts and plenty of activities for families.
Interestingly, this is also Thailand’s green season, traditionally a quieter period for tourism. Growing Middle Eastern travel therefore brings visitors during a period when demand from some other long-haul markets may be softer.
Thailand Through Different Eyes
What I find interesting about this growing market is not simply that more Middle Eastern travellers are coming to Thailand. It is how different travellers can experience the same destination in completely different ways.
The Bangkok I experience as someone who lives here may be very different from the Bangkok experienced by a family visiting from Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. A medical visit may become part of a longer family holiday. A shopping trip may lead to discovering Thai food and local neighbourhoods. A few days in Bangkok may continue with a private villa by the sea in Phuket or Krabi.
Thailand has welcomed Middle Eastern travellers for many years. What we are seeing now is an established market becoming larger, more diverse and increasingly visible.
As direct flights continue to connect Thailand with more cities across the Middle East, I expect these travellers will not only continue returning to the places they already know, but gradually begin discovering more of Thailand — in their own way.
