Tourist arrivals from China have seen a sharp decline, according to statistics from the Tourism Ministry.
China was the top source market in the past two years, but currently ranks fourth since the start of 2026. It was the top market within the first 25 days of 2025.
According to the Tourism Ministry, 13,889 tourists visited from China by January 24. The amount stood at 23,186 by January 25 in 2025. This is a decrease of 10,000 tourists.
In 2025, tourists from China accounted for 14 percent of visitors during January, but the share has dropped to eight percent this year.
Despite a drop in Chinese tourists, the total number of tourist arrivals increased from 160,224 in 2025 to 170,709 in 2026. This is a seven percent increase.
But last year saw an 11 percent increase in tourist arrivals in January compared to 2024. This means year-on-year tourist arrivals have also declined.
The main reason for the increased arrivals is the steady growth of the Russian market, with about 5000 more Russians visiting this year.
Russia, which tops the list, accounted for 14 percent of tourist arrivals this year.
Italy, which came in second, and the UK, which came in third, also saw an increase in tourist arrivals. However, the number of tourists from India is lower than last year.
A record number of tourists (2.2 million) visited in 2025, but the country failed to achieve the target of 2.3 million tourists.
The government expects the tourism industry to continue to grow this year, with a target of 2.4 million tourists expected to visit in 2026.
