{"id":43989,"date":"2026-01-22T12:00:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T05:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asiapropertyawards.com\/?p=43989"},"modified":"2026-02-12T12:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T05:04:19","slug":"thailand-tourism-at-a-tipping-point-as-regional-rivals-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asiapropertyawards.com\/en\/thailand-tourism-at-a-tipping-point-as-regional-rivals-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Thailand tourism at a tipping point as regional rivals surge, experts warn"},"content":{"rendered":"

Industry leaders urge urgent development of new destinations and experiences as travel patterns, infrastructure gaps, and aggressive competition reshape Asia\u2019s tourism landscape<\/p>\n

\"\"
(From left to right) Phoom Chirathivat, Managing Partner and Co-Head of Central Group Capital and Head of Hotels and Alternative Investments at Central Pattana (CPN); Bill Barnett, Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks; and Gautam Bhandari, Chief Development Officer \u2013 Asia Pacific, excluding China, Marriott International<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thailand\u2019s tourism industry is approaching a decisive moment. As travel patterns evolve, and regional competitors accelerate investment, the kingdom faces mounting pressure to adapt\u2014or risk losing its long-held leadership position in Asia-Pacific tourism.<\/p>\n

This was the consensus of experts at the 15th edition of TTF 2026, hosted at The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok, bringing together 1,000 senior hospitality professionals, hotel operators, developers and owners, and tourism executives under the theme \u201cA World of Change.\u201d<\/p>\n

For decades, Thailand has been one of the world\u2019s most successful tourism destinations. However, competition is intensifying. While Thailand\u2019s international arrivals declined 7.2% in 2025, Vietnam recorded growth of 20.4%, capitalising on shifting Chinese outbound travel trends, improved connectivity and aggressive infrastructure development.<\/p>\n

It is a gap that could widen further. Vietnam\u2019s plans include 12 new airports, a proposed high-speed rail network, and a substantial hotel development pipeline\u2014clear signals of a long-term strategy to capture regional and global market share.<\/p>\n

Related: Standout developers celebrate 20 years of the PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThailand\u2019s tourism industry stands at a critical juncture\u2014where strategy matters more than scale,\u201d says Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks. \u201cThis is no longer a recovery phase; it is a reckoning. Regional competitors are investing billions, and Thailand cannot rely on past success. The choices made now will define the next decade.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hospitality and investment leaders remain bullish on Thailand as a destination that continues to have enduring appeal as a place to visit and to live \u2013 although new entrepreneurial energy is needed to develop new products, experiences and destinations that appeal to a global audience.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an investor I am of course cautiously optimistic. Cautious due to global uncertainty, and issues related to geo-politics and security,\u201d says Phoom Chirathivat, managing partner and co-head of Central Group Capital and head of hotels and alternative investments at Central Pattana (CPN). \u201cRegionally there\u2019s more competition and locally the economy is not good. But I am very optimistic in a country where cultural depth and diversity offer a gold mine to create high-value products.\u201d<\/p>\n

For new destinations, he emphasised the need to look beyond the big five of Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya to places such as Esarn in the northeast where the combination of people, food and culture offered a compelling proposition, and Nakhon Sri Thammarat on the southeast coast with over 3,000 kilometres of undeveloped coastline and quiet, natural beauty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Industry leaders urge urgent development of new destinations and experiences <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":43990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,92],"tags":[4800,4801],"class_list":["post-43989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-news","tag-thailand-tourism-forum","tag-ttf","news_country-thailand","news_author-property-report"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThailand tourism at a tipping point as regional rivals surge, experts warn | Asia Property Awards<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asiapropertyawards.com\/en\/thailand-tourism-at-a-tipping-point-as-regional-rivals-surge\/\" \/>\n<meta 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