In the context of global tourism, Thailand comes up as a prime example of how promotion and implementation can be interwoven to produce exceptional results.
Consider this: despite a 7.23 percent year-on-year decrease, this Southeast Asian nation still welcomed a total of nearly 33 million foreign visitors as of 31st December 2025, earning around US$86.6 billion in tourism revenues.
While the country’s high-profile tourism campaigns have helped the numbers along over the years, it has to be said that Thailand has also constantly worked on the infrastructure, human resources, and soft power to keep visitors coming and coming back for more.
It all started after a crisis…
To put things into perspective, we go back to the late ‘90s, particularly the years immediately after the 1997 Asian economic bubble burst.
It may be recalled that the Thai economy was one of the hardest hit by the crisis and, as a means of stimulating economic revival, the government turned to tourism.
The original Amazing Thailand campaign was the result: a two-year campaign to run from 1998 to 1999, coinciding with the 72nd birthday of King Rama IX (HM Bhumibol Adulyadej) as well as the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
Amazing Thailand’s original schema was characterised by Nine Facets of Travel, highlighting various aspects of the country’s culture and traditions against a powerful aesthetic that appealed to the senses.
The campaign was so successful that it would be augmented over the years with related thematics casting the spotlight on different focal points, ranging from 2014’s It Begins with the People and 2022’s Amazing New Chapters, to the most recent ones 5 Must-do in Thailand and the 2026 theme Healing is the New Luxury.
Nearly three decades since its initial implementation, Amazing Thailand is still going strong and its global impact continues to shine.
As it evolves, it incorporates different facets of the nation’s history, culture, and economy, casting the spotlight on different parts of Thailand year after year.
Strategy + infrastructure = success
In our coverage of tourism throughout Asia and the world, we have pointed out that not all tourism campaigns have delivered the expected results for their countries of origin.
Which thus begs the question: what is Thailand doing right, and how have they been able to sustain it for nearly three decades?
Synergy is the one answer we can think of here; specifically, the synergetic relationship between a powerful promotional campaign and the relevant infrastructure necessary to transport, house, feed, engage, and entertain a massive influx of foreign travellers year after year.
Tourists see this in Thailand’s extensive range of tourism infrastructure initiatives over the course of the past several decades.
The aviation sector, in particular, is beginning to reap the benefits of TAT’s Airline Focus Strategy which seeks to raise the number of long-haul tourist arrivals by teaming up with global airlines for new routes.
At the same time, Thailand continues to improve its airports in terms of capacity, as well as service and facility quality, seeking to double the former between now and 2027.
Another point of consideration is that Thailand ensures that tourists get to see the entire country, as opposed to promoting just one or two major cities.
In recent years, this has meant optimising the use of social media and key opinion leaders to promote secondary cities, thus bringing the glories of places like Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi, and Sakon Nakhon to the rest of the world.
Add in the fact that TAT has been actively promoting key events and festivals on both domestic and international levels, and you have a synergetic tourism model that works.
Contemplating the Amazing 5
As this year marks a landmark 28th year for the Amazing Thailand initiative, Thailand's tourism promotion strategy also continues to evolve, with this year's thematic taking on a slant towards the national economy.
Last 12th January, the public relations arm of the Thai government announced the national tourism goal of US$95 billion in tourism revenues for this year.
Central to the attainment of this goal is a strategy referred to by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) as its Amazing 5 Economy concept for 2026.
As a continuing offshoot of the original Amazing Thailand concept, this most recent development has five focal points for targeted marketing:
- Life Economy Centering on the Healing is the New Luxury thematic, this aspect positions Thailand as a hub for wellness and medical tourism. As such, the Life Economy aspect involves enhancement and development of products and services related to both physical and mental health, a broad spectrum that covers both traditional modalities and state of the art treatments;
- Sub-Culture Economy This aspect targets luxury and high net worth travellers, a niche which has seen significant growth in recent years. Indeed, a February 2025 report from the Asian Development Bank’s Greater Mekong Subregion Secretariat shows that luxury tourism alone brought in between THB60 and 70 billion as of end-2023 and TAT sees the sector growing at a maximum compound rate of ten percent per annum;
- Night Economy Tourism is anything but a 9 to 5 thing, and this aspect of Thailand’s tourism strategy means extending its hours well into the night. But rather than the more 18+ market, the Night Economy here refers to safe and fun nightlife along with extensive dining and entertainment experiences not only in hubs like Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai, but also spilling into lesser-known but equally interesting locations throughout the country;
- Circular Economy Sustainability lies at the core of the Circular Economy aspect as it puts an emphasis on the efficient utilisation of available tourism resources via the principles of upcycling and recycling, giving back to host communities in a variety of ways, and boosting local economies through initiatives promoting traditional crafts and specialities; and
- Platform Economy The beauty of Thai tourism promotion may be further attributed to the way it has integrated technology into its framework. In this case, the Platform Economy facet of the Amazing 5 refers to ensuring seamless travel experiences by way of integrated online platforms for purchasing, selling, and payment. By making things more convenient for both domestic and global travellers, Thailand makes the experience safe, comfortable, and enjoyable.
All things considered, Thailand has hit upon a winning formula for tourism success and continues its winning streak thanks to the way it considers all its aspects to draw in the world's attention.
