11 Dec 2025
Israeli visitors to Thailand plummet as “Unwelcome” signs come out
Bangkok — The Israel-Palestine conflict has had a direct impact on visitor arrivals from Israel to Thailand in 2025 and will impact Thai travel & tourism well into 2026 and beyond.
Visitor arrivals from Israel to Thailand plunged from 45,182 in Sept 2025 to 28,773 in November 2025, just a little higher than 26,797 visitors in November 2024. This fall comes in the wake of multiple news reports about the misbehaviour of and illegal activities by Israel “visitors” setting up large swathes of occupied enclaves in a number of Thai provinces.
The sharp fall in Israeli visitors in November was the second this year, after an earlier collapse in June due to the Iranian attack on Israel. It shot up again after the hostilities ceased.
Thailand is by far the most popular destination for Israelis in Asia. They get visa-free access, similar to other countries such as Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam. But questions are being raised about this access given the clear threat Israelis pose to Thailand’s national security and public safety.
As clearly indicated in the images of the news reports below, many Israelis are suffering from mental health problems. They come to Thailand for “rest and recreation” to overcome the trauma of the battlefield. With numerous United Nations reports now clearly describing Israel’s military assault on Gaza as “genocide”, this means Thailand is effectively providing “health and wellness” services and sanctuary to alleged genocidal war criminals.
In turn, Thais do NOT get visa-free access to Israel. Instead, the visa process involves heavy-duty scrutiny and interrogation both at the point of application in Thailand as well as the point of entry in Israel, especially for Thai-Muslims. Thailand also recognises the “State of Palestine” as a legal entity. However, getting to Palestine requires approval from the Israelis.
The Israel-Palestine conflict is far from over and bound to have a ripple-effect on Thailand. Israelis have major business and economic interests in Thailand. Hundreds attend MICE events, which are also facing boycotts and protests if Israelis are participating. The social media controversy which erupted between the Israeli and Palestinian contestants at the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand in November is a good example of what lies in store.
The Israel-Palestine conflict has now reached a far more dangerous stage as Israel mounts a campaign to ethnically cleanse Gaza, exonerate itself of all accountability for the genocide and silence criticism of its actions as “antisemitism”. It is also starting to again villify Muslims as “terrorists”.
However, Israel is now facing a multidirectional and multidimensional pushback which is sure to dominate global geopolitics for years ahead, impacting Travel & Tourism and many other areas in unpredictable ways, especially in destinations giving Israelis visa-free access.