Thailand Wants 1.5 Million U.S. Tourists — It’s Got a Long Way to Go

Photo Credit: Ko Hong, Thailand is a popular destination among travelers. Unsplash / Andrzej Suwara Thailand is targeting 1.5 million U.S. visitors in 2026 as it looks to higher-spending, long-haul travelers to drive tourism revenue. Last year, U.S. arrivals reached 1.08 million. The country recorded 716,983 U.S. arrivals from January 1 through September 15, according to the The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). It would need more than 780,000 additional American visitors in the remaining three and a half months. TAT said this week that its offices in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles will coordinate efforts around what it calls a "Value over Volume" strategy. The direction was set at a meeting at TAT's New York office on September 17, chaired by Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul. Bangkok-based tour operator EXO Travel is seeing softer forward demand from the U.S. "Forward bookings are tracking a little behind last year. Interest has p