‘Healing is the new luxury’: Thailand pivots to wellness to lure back Korean travelers

Thailand is refining its appeal to Korean travelers as it pivots toward higher-value, wellness-oriented tourism, aiming to restore arrivals to pre-pandemic levels by 2026 under its new global branding strategy of “Healing is the New Luxury.” The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a target of 1.89 million Korean visitors in 2026, matching the pre-COVID peak and underscoring Korea’s role as a top-five source market. “Before the pandemic, Korea was already one of our most important neighbors,” Siriges-a-nong Trirattanasongpol, TAT's executive director for the East Asia Region, said during a media gathering in Seoul’s central Itaewon area on Feb. 11. “By 2026, we are determined not only to recover those numbers, but to welcome Korean visitors back with better, more meaningful experiences.” TAT explained its Korea strategy as reframing luxury as inner recovery and value-based experiences rather than conspicuous consumption. “Luxury today is the joy of returning home with a fuller inner life,” Siriges-a-nong said, adding that Thailand wants to be where visitors “Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times