Tourism in Thailand began to flourish in the 1970s, with the establishment of US military bases near Vietnam. Many films have made the destination known around the world, such as James Bond's "The Man with the Golden Gun" released in 1974 and "The Beach" released in the 2000s.

Today, tourism is multifaceted and accounts for 10% of Thailand's GDP, but the country is trying to attract "quality tourists" by basing its growth on the construction of luxury hotels and resorts, investing in business tourism even though its neighbours Hong Kong and Singapore are ahead of the curve. Attracting quality tourists also requires a policy of repression of tour operators and illegal hotels: for example, suppressing the "zero-dollars tours" coming from China, which have no financial value for the country.

Thanasak Patimaprakorn, the Thai Prime Minister, also announced at the annual Thai meeting of travel agencies and hotel associations in 2017 that the government will strengthen the security policy in the country in order to sustain the growth of tourism.