Thailand only wants high-quality tourists! Minister sounds the alarm!

Thailand only wants high-quality tourists! Minister sounds the alarm!

In Thailand, tourists are currently facing strict discussions about the “quality” of foreign visitors. MP Chalermpong Saengdee is particularly causing a stir on the popular island of Phuket, which is known for its lively nightlife. Mercury reports that Saengdee is critically questioning the visa exemption, which was expanded last year to around 90 countries, including Germany. Since then, tourists have been able to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days without a visa, but this has led to an increase in inappropriate behavior. Examples such as drug use and even the creation of pornographic videos are reportedly increasing.

The politician rates the tourists in question as “low quality” and calls for a thorough check of these visitors. In his opinion, these are doing Thailand's image a disservice. Watson highlights that many such incidents are reported among Russian tourists in particular. An example is circumstances where tourists hire locals to create pornographic content or cases of drunken restlessness that spoil the relaxed holiday feeling.

The challenges for tourism

The Thai government has set a target of 39 million to 40 million international tourists in 2025 to reach pre-pandemic levels. However, as of September 21, 2025, only over 23 million foreign visitors were counted, a decline of more than 7%. The hope of potentially welcoming 33 million tourists by the end of the year could still miss the target beautiful-thailand.at reported.

Although Thailand welcomed more than 35 million visitors and generated tourism revenue of 1.8 trillion baht last year, the challenges of low-quality tourists are never far away. Saengdee made it clear that while he recognizes the economic contribution of these tourists, the damage they cause is even greater. Locals in popular tourist regions such as Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai complain of increasing problems caused by such behavior.

The way forward

Given these challenges, Thailand's tourism ministry is considering measures to secure the number of "high-quality" visitors and possibly reset the visa-free period to 30 days. However, these plans have been put on hold for the time being. In order to introduce some control, the hope is to reorient Thailand's attractiveness while keeping an eye on the infrastructure and the environmental impact of tourism.

The discussion about a new direction could find open ears, as a growing group of travelers is increasingly interested in sustainable and high-quality tourism, as current trends seem to show. Targeted campaigns such as “Meaningful Travel” attempt to sustainably manage tourist flows, while infrastructure projects to support tourism are expanded.

Overall, it remains to be seen whether Thailand can achieve its targets despite the challenges. The developments of the next few months could shape the country's image as a tourism destination, with a clear focus on quality rather than quantity.