Thailand Becomes First Asia Pacific Market for Visa’s Global Travel Platform
Visa has officially launched Visa Destinations in Thailand, making the country the first market in Asia Pacific to debut the global travel and lifestyle platform. Following successful rollouts in Paris, London, and Dubai, the expansion highlights Thailand’s growing influence as one of the world’s leading tourism and digital commerce destinations.
Visa Destinations is designed to connect Visa cardholders with curated travel experiences, exclusive offers, and destination-led activities inspired by local culture, dining, lifestyle, wellness, and entertainment. The platform aims to create more seamless and rewarding travel journeys, from trip planning and payments to on-ground experiences across key destinations.
Thailand’s selection reflects its strong position in global tourism and its importance as a year-round travel economy. According to publicly available tourism data, Thailand welcomed more than 33 million visitors in 2025, generating over US$50 billion in tourism revenue across sectors including hospitality, retail, dining, transport, and lifestyle businesses.
Visa’s cross-border spending insights also reveal Thailand’s global appeal among international travellers, with nearly two-thirds of international Visa cardholder spending coming from outside the Asia Pacific region. Major inbound travel markets include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, and the United Arab Emirates, reinforcing Thailand’s status as a premium long-haul destination.
Anthony Watson, Country Manager of Visa Thailand, said Thailand plays a significant role in the global travel economy, not only as a dream destination for travellers but also as a country where tourism supports millions of local livelihoods and businesses nationwide.
He added that Visa Destinations will help strengthen digital payment acceptance across Thailand while delivering more secure, seamless, and trusted travel experiences for both visitors and local merchants.
Visa Destinations Thailand has been developed using Visa’s cross-border travel insights to deliver curated experiences across major tourist destinations including Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui. The programme spans multiple categories such as transport, hotels, dining, shopping, wellness, and lifestyle experiences, helping travellers enjoy smoother and more convenient journeys throughout Thailand.
At the same time, the initiative supports Thailand’s transition toward a more cashless tourism ecosystem by encouraging digital payment adoption among merchants, SMEs, banks, and travel-related businesses.
The programme is available to all Visa cardholders, while Visa Infinite cardholders will receive access to an elevated selection of premium travel experiences and exclusive benefits.
Visa also noted that affluent travellers continue to drive global tourism growth despite changing travel trends. High-value travellers account for approximately 75% of Visa’s total card spending, making premium tourism an important contributor to Thailand’s travel economy.
By connecting international travellers with local businesses through secure digital payments, Visa Destinations aims to create broader economic opportunities across Thailand’s tourism ecosystem, from global hospitality brands to small and medium-sized local merchants.
Key experience categories available through Visa Destinations Thailand include:
Entertainment and Iconic Locations
Access to Thailand’s top attractions and destination experiences
Dining
Curated culinary experiences with complimentary food and beverage offers as well as selected discounts
Stay and Go
Travel-focused hotel and transport privileges designed to support smooth and convenient travel across Thailand
More information about Visa Destinations Thailand and participating experiences is available at https://destinations.visa.com/thailand/