Thailand received 636,432 international visitors from 1 to 7 November 2026, 18.15% more than the week before, according to preliminary Ministry of Tourism and Sports figures released on 9 November. The year to date is still 4.71% behind 2025. Explera DMC Thailand explains what these Thailand weekly arrivals show about the start of high season, and what they do not show.
Explera handles ground arrangements as a Thailand DMC for travel agents. Its Thai company, Explera DMC Co., Ltd., holds TAT licence 14/05119, the Tourism Business Licence issued by the Department of Tourism, and the group is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733) and a member of ASTA (900408341). Write to b2b@explera.co.th.
What did the ministry report for 1–7 November?
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul released the preliminary count on Monday 9 November. It shows 636,432 foreign arrivals for 1–7 November, 97,771 more than the week before, or 90,919 a day. Short-haul markets sent 361,720 visitors, up 16.12% on the week, and long-haul markets sent 274,712, up 20.94%. The ministry put the rise down to Deepavali holiday travel from Malaysia and Singapore and to the start of the winter season. From 1 January to 7 November Thailand counted 26,100,738 arrivals, 4.71% fewer than in the same period of 2025, and visitor spending of about 1.27 trillion baht. The figures are preliminary and can be revised. The count for 8–14 November had not been published when we wrote this.
Which markets moved in the weekly arrivals?
Malaysia led the week with 79,693 arrivals, followed by China with 75,610, Russia with 48,584, India with 36,816 and the United States with 28,234. The reported changes are Malaysia up 28.87%, China up 46.88%, Russia up 9.18%, the United States up 32.80% and India down 9.95%. The two reports we read disagree on what those percentages compare. The Thai news wire InfoQuest labels all of them week on week. The Nation's English report calls four of them year on year, yet it also ties Malaysia's 28.87% to the Deepavali holiday. We read them as week on week, so do not quote them to a client as annual growth. India fell because some travellers spent the festival at home, The Nation says. Our post on the ATTA forecast for Chinese arrivals covers the China outlook for November and December.
What does "week on week" mean, and what does it not mean?
It compares one week with the week before it. Arrivals rise in early November every year as the cool season starts, so a week-on-week gain shows the season turning. It does not show that Thailand is ahead of last year. The year-to-date gap was 4.59% at the end of October and 4.71% a week later, so it widened slightly in a week that grew by 18%. Working back from those two published percentages, the same week of 2025 would have had roughly 700,000 arrivals, which would put this year's week about 9% lower. That is our arithmetic, not a published figure, and it assumes both percentages use the same base. Neither report gives last year's weekly count. Our January to October arrivals post has the ten-month picture.
What does it mean for space and lead times?
The ministry expects long-haul arrivals to rise again in the week of 8–14 November as the winter holidays approach, and short-haul arrivals to fall back after Deepavali. It adds that the economy, consumer confidence and airfares could change that. Long-haul visitors were about 43% of the week by our calculation, and long-haul clients usually book further ahead than regional ones. So treat the softer year and the peak weeks as two separate questions. For Christmas, New Year and late January in Phuket and the other beach destinations, hold space now. For late November and early December, ask first: a year running behind 2025 may leave rooms that a normal year would not, as our high-season buyer's market post explains. A national weekly count says nothing about one hotel on one date. A Thailand DMC with hotel contracts can check the real position, and our hotel bookings team will do that for your dates. The rest of what we do is on our Thailand DMC services page.
Next steps
Send us your dates, group size and preferred hotels through our contact page. The trade desk replies within 24 hours and will tell you what is still open.
Sources
- Nation Thailand: Thailand's weekly tourist arrivals rise 18.15% but year-to-date gap remains (9 November 2026)
- InfoQuest (Thai): first week of November arrivals up 18.15% on Deepavali and the long-haul high season (9 November 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How many tourists arrived in Thailand in the first week of November 2026?
636,432 from 1 to 7 November, according to the preliminary count from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. That is 18.15% more than the week before and an average of 90,919 a day.
Is Thailand ahead of 2025 on arrivals?
No. From 1 January to 7 November 2026 Thailand counted 26,100,738 foreign arrivals, 4.71% fewer than in the same period of 2025.
Which markets sent the most visitors that week?
Malaysia, China, Russia, India and the United States, in that order. Short-haul markets sent 361,720 visitors and long-haul markets 274,712.
Will hotels be full this high season?
Plan the peak weeks as in any year and hold space early. Dates in late November and early December may have more room than usual. Ask a Thailand DMC to check the hotel and the dates, because a national figure cannot tell you that.
