It’s hard to resist Thailand’s pristine beaches, ancient temples, and lively nightlife. Over the past two decades, those features have lured tourists back to the country after a devastating tsunami, bouts of deadly air pollution, violent street protests, and even military coups temporarily turned them away. But history has not repeated itself after the pandemic. During COVID, the country that draws as much as 20% of its GDP from tourism shut its borders to virtually all visitors for more than a year. It reopened cautiously starting in July 2021. But tourists still have not returned in full force. By the end of 2023, arrivals tallied 28 million, roughly 30% below the pre-pandemic record of 39.8 million.
“There are three…