Inbound tourism in Thailand: Market form and scale differentiation in ASEAN source countries

Utilizing Thailand's inbound tourism statistics for the period 1996 to 2015, we focus on the change and differentiation of its inbound tourism sources from the ASEAN countries. The results are as follows: first, the number of tourists to Thailand from ASEAN countries and Thailand's foreign exchange earnings saw an average growth rate of more than 10%. Second, we find that only few ASEAN source countries are star markets, while most of them belong to the dog or child market categories. Third, by employing the distance decay pattern, we highlight a significant Boltzman curve between inbound tourists and travel distance; moreover, bilateral trade emerges as an important factor for Thailand's inbound tourist flows. Fourth, using five indicators, we investigate scale differentiation within these countries, and find a Primacy Index value greater than 2, suggesting that although the market seemed highly concentrated, a balanced development trend is apparent.