PATTAYA, Thailand – Thailand’s main airport operator, Airports of Thailand (AOT), has reported a strong start to fiscal year 2026, posting a net profit of 4.65 billion baht on the back of rising passenger numbers and steady growth in air travel. Revenue for the October–December 2025 quarter reached 17.33 billion baht, reinforcing the narrative that Thailand’s aviation and tourism recovery remains firmly on track.
Passenger traffic across AOT’s six airports climbed to 34.47 million, with international travelers accounting for more than 20 million of that total. Flight movements also increased, pushing several major airports closer to their capacity limits and accelerating long-term expansion plans aimed at handling more than 214 million passengers annually by 2034.
Yet hundreds of kilometers away from airport balance sheets, a very different story is unfolding in Pattaya.
Despite steady tourist arrivals, many local business operators say sales remain sluggish and inconsistent. Restaurants, bars, retail shops, and entertainment venues report that customer traffic has not translated into the spending levels seen before the pandemic. While flights are full, business owners say wallets are not.
Operators point to shorter stays, tighter travel budgets, and a shift toward lower-spending visitors as key reasons revenue has failed to rebound in line with arrival numbers. Some say visitors increasingly base themselves in Bangkok or other destinations, visiting Pattaya only briefly or skipping discretionary spending altogether.
Economists note that airport profits are largely driven by landing fees, concessions, and commercial rents, meaning strong aviation numbers do not automatically guarantee wider economic benefits. While AOT benefits directly from rising passenger volumes, tourism-dependent cities like Pattaya rely on length of stay and spending per visitor, both of which remain under pressure.
Business groups in Pattaya argue that focusing on arrival figures alone paints an incomplete picture of tourism health. They are calling for policies that encourage longer stays, higher-value tourism, and stronger links between national infrastructure growth and local economies.
As AOT moves ahead with ambitious airport expansion projects, Pattaya’s business community continues to wait for tangible benefits to reach street level. For many operators, the question is no longer whether tourists are coming, but why the money still feels absent.
