Currently ranking as Thailand’s third-largest short-haul market, India is experiencing explosive, near double-digit growth. “The Indian market is still in the growth sector—it is nearly two digits, around 9%,” confirmed Thapanee Kiatphaibool, Governor, TAT noting that over 1.11 million Indians arrived in just the first five months of 2026. To maintain this momentum, Kiatphaibool shared an exciting update on visa policy, “We are negotiating for a free visa for 15 days. Because the average stay in the Indian market is around 9 days,” she said.
Redefining Thai holiday for Indians
Moving past the standard itineraries, TAT’s new blueprint centres on high-quality, value-driven experiences, packaged under a captivating new theme. “We will promote the ‘Healing is a New Luxury’ campaign in Thailand,” announced Khajornrit Khwanmongkol, Director, TAT, New Delhi Office. He added that the focus will heavily favour wellness and secondary gems, “We will promote Krabi, Khao Lak, and Phang Nga for luxury and health and wellness. For Chiang Mai, we have more of the nature and culture,” he said.
This strategic pivot directly aligns with the changing habits of younger travellers. Pattaraanong Na Chiangmai, Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific), TAT, emphasised that Indian millennials are reshaping the market, “They have their purpose to choose where to go and what to do. They do not travel just to relax.” To capture this, she revealed lucrative new cash incentives, spa vouchers, and flight tickets for Indian wedding planners and milestone celebration groups, adding, “Next month, we will cooperate with the luxury Thailand hotels to bring luxury travel agents to Thailand to explore.”
TTM Plus: A goldmine for Indian travel agents
For the Indian travel trade, the massive scale of TTM+ 2026—which hosted over 15,000 business appointments—signifies a golden era of B2B opportunities.
Pinki Arora, Marketing Representative, North & East India, TAT, highlighted the event’s stellar matchmaking capabilities: “It is about 550 buyers and 538 sellers who are present here… It encourages people to meet and then all the buyers can find out about the new products, the new destinations.”
Indian travel agents are already reaping the rewards of this centralised marketplace. Sanjay Malik of Wonderful Siam shared his first-hand success story: “Every time I come here, I get new connections. I started from the India market, and now I am dealing with 5 markets because of TTM. Today, on the first day, I got to know about 3 new products.”
B2B support and secondary havens
As travel demand shifts from metro giants like Delhi and Mumbai toward Tier-II and Tier-III cities, TAT is actively stepping in to support regional Indian agents with presentation workshops, financial co-op campaign support, and specialised training to sell undiscovered hidden gems like Trat, Koh Mak, and Chanthaburi.
With aggressive luxury promotions, robust trade incentives, and a seamless visa process on the horizon, Thailand is firmly positioned as the ultimate all-year destination for the modern Indian traveller.
“Indians are more than happy to spend $10,000 plus on Thailand on a holiday,” concluded Mayur Oberoi, Founder & CEO, LetsGoTrvl. “I got to learn about a lot of the new Thai experiences at TTM this year that I myself even after selling 20 years of Thailand was not aware of, such as experiences that are possible on the River Kwai, eco-friendly resorts, and luxury resorts.”
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India emerges as key growth driver for Thailand Tourism
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