Ministry of Tourism and Sports

What Ministry of Tourism and Sports does

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา) is a Thai government ministry headquartered in Bangkok, founded in 2002, responsible for tourism policy, promotion, and regulation, as well as sports development across Thailand. It sits within the Royal Thai Government's administrative structure and operates as a state entity rather than a commercial enterprise, with no shareholders and no external funding rounds. Its mandate covers the oversight of Thailand's tourism sector, which contributes approximately 12% of national GDP and is projected to generate roughly 1.5 trillion baht in 2025 from around 32.8 million foreign tourist arrivals. The ministry does not sell software products or technology platforms; its core outputs are policy, regulatory frameworks, tourism promotion campaigns, and sports administration.

The ministry's principal revenue-capture mechanism is regulatory: it implemented a 300-baht (~$9) air arrival fee for international tourists in 2025, while postponing equivalent land and sea entry fees indefinitely to avoid burdening cross-border commuters. It communicates through official government channels, Cabinet announcements, and policy press releases, and is currently undergoing significant restructuring. In March 2026 the Thai government announced plans to merge the ministry with the Ministry of Culture to enhance cultural soft power and bureaucratic efficiency, and to spin off a separate Ministry of Sports to better coordinate the two sectors. The ministry's customer base, in a policy sense, consists of inbound international tourists and domestic tourism operators, with no named enterprise accounts, product lines, or proprietary technology assets disclosed.

Name

Ministry of Tourism and Sports

Legal name

กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา (Ministry of Tourism and Sports)

Website

https://mots.go.th

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is a Thai government ministry responsible for tourism policy, promotion, and regulation, as well as sports development. It oversees Thailand's tourism sector (approximately 12% of GDP) and is currently planned to merge with the Ministry of Culture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Tourism Administration

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Spectator Sports (7112)

akta.pro primary industry

Tourism Trade & Services Exports Development (BPADAMAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD), Government & Public Sector Travel Management (THAKACAE)

Keywords

• Government tourism regulation
• Tourism policy administration
• Sports development services
• Tourism fee collection
• Cultural tourism promotion

Headquarters

HQ city

Bangkok

HQ country

Thailand

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is a Thai government ministry responsible for national tourism policy, tourism promotion, sports development administration, and related regulatory functions. It oversees the implementation of tourism-related fees (including a 300-baht air arrival fee for international tourists) and coordinates initiatives to integrate tourism, culture, and sports policy at the national level.

Product overview

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา) is a government ministry of Thailand responsible for tourism policy, sports administration, and related regulatory functions. The ministry does not offer software products or technology platforms; it provides government services including tourism promotion, sports development, and fee collection from international visitors such as the 300-baht air arrival fee. The ministry is undergoing restructuring discussions regarding a potential merger with the Ministry of Culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Arrival Fee for International Tourists A mandatory 300-baht (approximately USD $9) per-tourist arrival fee collected from international visitors arriving in Thailand by air, intended to fund tourism infrastructure improvements and sustainable tourism growth.
• National Tourism Promotion Services Government-led tourism promotion programs targeting international and domestic audiences, with a strategic emphasis on cultural, wellness, and high-value tourism experiences as part of Thailand's cultural soft power agenda.
• Sports Development Administration National-level administration of sports policy, sports development programs, and related oversight activities delivered through the Ministry of Tourism and Sports' sports portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue generation for infrastructure improvements
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Singapore Tourism Board: Singapore's statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry responsible for tourism development and promotion. Directly comparable in function as a government-led tourism promotion and policy body targeting international visitors.
• Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia: Indonesian government ministry responsible for tourism and creative economy policy, including cultural tourism development. Directly comparable as a regional Southeast Asian government tourism authority pursuing cultural and creative-economy positioning.
• Tourism Authority of Thailand: The national tourism promotion agency of Thailand operates under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and directly executes international marketing and visitor services. It is the closest operational peer as the Ministry's primary implementation arm for tourism promotion policy.
• Tourism Malaysia: Malaysian government agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture responsible for tourism promotion. Comparable as a Southeast Asian national tourism organization pursuing cultural and high-value tourism strategies.
• Vietnam National Administration of Tourism: Vietnamese government agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism responsible for national tourism development. Comparable in function and structure as a state-level tourism authority in a competing regional market.
• Department of Tourism (Philippines): Philippine government department responsible for tourism policy, promotion, and regulation. Comparable as a national-level government body overseeing tourism sector development in a competing Southeast Asian destination.

Others

• Ministry of Culture (Thailand): The Thai Ministry of Culture is the planned merger counterpart for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Relevant as the entity with which direct operational integration is being pursued to enable cultural soft power strategy.
• UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism. Comparable as a global policy framework setter and standard bearer for national tourism ministries, including on sustainable tourism growth.

Broad incumbents

• Japan National Tourism Organization: Japanese government-affiliated organization responsible for international tourism promotion. Comparable as a national tourism authority with substantial resources for cultural tourism positioning and visitor experience investment.
• Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (South Korea): South Korean ministry combining culture, sports, and tourism functions, providing a precedent for the integrated ministry structure Thailand is pursuing. Relevant as a comparable government model for integrated cultural-tourism-sports administration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MOTS_Thai
• Facebookfacebook.com/Mots.official.TH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ministry-of-tourism-and-sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Ministry of Tourism and Sports