Chinese tourist inflows have fallen over the past week amid the global trade war, while Malaysian arrivals have surged and remain in first place, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The Tourism and Sports Ministry reported weekly arrivals from March 31 to April 6 of 92,262 from Malaysia, representing a rise of 12.8%, and 64,177 from China, showing a fall of 1.2%.
The gap between those two markets since the beginning of this year has narrowed as a total of 1.38 million Chinese tourists have arrived, followed by Malaysian visitors at 1.23 million.
As of April 6, total arrivals from around the world have tallied 10 million, increasing by 1.79% year-on-year.
TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said the agency is evaluating the situation to determine an appropriate plan, which might include adjusting promotions and target markets.
She said additional challenges include US President Donald Trump's tariffs and their impact on the global and Chinese economy.
Ms Thapanee said that while the TAT is still committed to the target of 7.3 million Chinese tourists this year, it plans to revive traditional marketing methods and ask tour companies to bring more tour groups from second-, third- and fourth-tier cities.
She said tourists from these cities have not been to Thailand and they have the potential to travel by themselves once they finish their first trips with tour groups.
For independent tourists, the agency will keep working with online travel agents to stimulate bookings.
Given the US tariff hikes, Ms Thapanee said the agency has to continue promoting Thailand as a value-for-money destination with great experiences and hospitality.
This year, the TAT is maintaining its US target at 1 million visitors and will diversify to other long-haul markets such as Italy and Spain, which are rising stars at the moment, along with established markets like the UK, Germany and Israel.
The number of Russian tourists should reach 2 million this year, while India is expected to be at 2.4-2.5 million, said Mrs Thapanee.
She said the TAT has already prepared new strategies to cope with negative factors in the second half of the year.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra yesterday attended a meeting at the TAT's headquarters to prepare for Songkran events.