Thailand has unveiled its tourism strategy for 2027 under the ambitious banner of “The Year of Transformation”.
Those of us who have worked in Thai tourism for many years have heard plenty of strategies, slogans and campaigns. So rather than repeat the official language, I think there is a simpler question worth asking: “What will actually be different for the visitor?”
TAT wants tourism revenue to grow by at least 5 per cent and aims for a 60:40 distribution between major and emerging destinations. It also talks repeatedly about attracting “high-value” travellers.
I understand the reasoning. Hotels naturally want higher room rates and greater revenue. Destinations want visitors who spend more. But there is another side to this equation: High-value tourism does not necessarily mean high-priced tourism.
Going local
Only a few days ago, I took a short road trip with friends through Phetchaburi province, visiting Kaeng Krachan and Phetchaburi town. Along the way, we stayed in local homestays, explored markets and attractions, enjoyed fantastic local food and, most importantly, met some wonderful local people.
What struck me was not luxury in the conventional sense. It was the richness and authenticity of the experience.
Money was being spent locally and visitors were interacting directly with communities. Importantly, it represented excellent value for money.
For repeat visitors to Thailand, this matters enormously. Experienced travelers are not necessarily searching for a more expensive hotel or holiday. Often they are searching for something new to discover.
A local market, family-run restaurant, homestay or village festival can provide exactly that.
Perhaps we should therefore redefine “high value”:
LOCAL EXPERIENCE
↓
AUTHENTIC CONNECTION
↓
LOCAL SPENDING
↓
MEMORABLE VISIT
↓
REASON TO RETURN
That, to me, is high-value tourism too.
A visitor can spend ฿100 on a memorable local meal and ฿10,000 on a hotel room during the same journey. Both contribute to Thailand’s tourism economy.
The appeal of no-fly tourism
Another opportunity we sometimes overlook is that you don’t necessarily need to fly anywhere to have a great holiday.
International airfares can represent a substantial part of a holiday budget. For Thai travellers, expatriates and long-stay residents who call Thailand home, domestic travel offers an attractive alternative.
The airlines may not thank me for saying it, but no-fly tourism is actually rather appealing.
Remove an expensive international airfare, and suddenly you have more money for accommodation, restaurants, local guides, markets, and attractions. Much of that spending remains within Thailand and local communities.
A rewarding break does not always require an airport or immigration queue. Sometimes it simply means getting into a car or boarding a train.
Many repeat visitors already know Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Samui. The opportunity now is to discover the Thailand between the famous names.
Less jargon, more delivery
TAT talks about reshaping markets, new growth engines and meaningful destinations. Travellers ask much simpler questions:
Why should I go? What will I experience? Is it worth the money? Will I feel welcome?
My sister has an even simpler test for judging a good holiday on your return. She asks just one question:
“Would you go back?”
If the answer is an immediate yes, the destination has probably got most things right. If the answer is “maybe” or “I’m not sure”, that return visit may never happen.
I think that is as good a measure of tourism success as any.
After more than three decades working and writing in Thailand’s hospitality and tourism industry, I have come to believe that attracting someone once is only part of the job. Giving them a reason to return is much more valuable.
Perhaps Thailand’s greatest opportunity in 2027 is therefore not simply persuading every tourist to spend more. It is creating experiences that make them say:
“Yes, I would go back.”
And sometimes the experiences that bring us back are not the most expensive ones. They are simply the ones we remember.
By: Andrew Wood – © 2026.
Read Time: 4 minutes.
Author Bio:
Andrew J. Wood has spent a lifetime in travel, though he’d likely tell you it simply unfolded that way. Born in Yorkshire and trained in Edinburgh, he began in London before heading overseas, first to Hilton Paris, then further afield.
Thailand became home in 1991 when he joined the Shangri-La in Bangkok. What followed was a long run through the upper floors of hospitality, with senior roles across well-known hotel groups and, eventually, general manager posts where the responsibility sat squarely on his shoulders.
Alongside it all, Skål ran, where he gave more time than most, rose through the ranks, and earned its highest honours.
These days, Andrew writes and lectures, sharing a lifetime’s worth of experience with a steady voice, thoughtful, measured, and grounded in the realities of the trade.
