Thailand has been a giant in international tourism for years, attracting millions with its stunning beaches, temples, and vibrant street life. But it's another aspect that keeps visitors coming back for more: the Thai cuisine. Not merely pad Thai or green curry, but the full range of culinary delights that run from sizzling street-side vegan satay to refined rooftop tasting menus.
With increasing tourist arrivals comes increased food and drink activity, developing both in diversity and refinement. This is not about more restaurants. It's about tourism transforming the way Thailand eats, serves, and innovates in general.
Let's examine how Thai tourism is transforming and being transformed by this vibrant and diverse food culture!
Thailand's tourism is not a seasonal business. Thailand welcomed more than 28 million tourists in 2023 and is set to outdo it in 2025, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Most of these tourists are not interested only in looking around; they also want to experience the country on their palate. This change in traveller demand is putting pressure on food sellers, chefs, and players in the hotel industry to adapt.
Travel is also becoming more specialised. Food tours, cooking classes, and temple market crawls have become standard experiences. Demand for halal, kosher, gluten-free, and especially vegan options has forced kitchens to be more inclusive.
Vegan tourists, especially from Europe and Australia, often arrive with lists of places they’ve discovered on platforms like HappyCow or from influencers. And businesses are listening!
Tour operators and websites have taken notice of this trend as well. It is now possible to reserve plant-based-themed bus tours or even F&B-centred experiences through domestic travel websites, and whether these experiences are in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or Phuket, you can rely on platforms, such as Siam Tickets, to conveniently help you reach your destination.
There's a widespread myth that Thai cuisine is vegetarian or vegan by nature. It's true that vegetables and tofu are headliners, but fish sauce and shrimp paste creep into many classic dishes. But something is changing.
In Bangkok’s old town, Jay Fai’s legacy of wok-fired flavours coexists with new vegan kitchens serving jackfruit larb and coconut cream-based curries. Restaurants like Broccoli Revolution and Vistro have built menus entirely around plant-based innovation. And it’s not limited to Bangkok! Chiang Mai, with its artsy expat vibe, is a haven for cruelty-free cuisine, with places like Goodsouls Kitchen and Free Bird Café becoming tourist magnets in their own right.
Let's examine how Thai tourism is transforming and being transformed by this vibrant and diverse food culture!
The tourism engine driving the food scene
Thailand's tourism is not a seasonal business. Thailand welcomed more than 28 million tourists in 2023 and is set to outdo it in 2025, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Most of these tourists are not interested only in looking around; they also want to experience the country on their palate. This change in traveller demand is putting pressure on food sellers, chefs, and players in the hotel industry to adapt.
Travel is also becoming more specialised. Food tours, cooking classes, and temple market crawls have become standard experiences. Demand for halal, kosher, gluten-free, and especially vegan options has forced kitchens to be more inclusive.
Vegan tourists, especially from Europe and Australia, often arrive with lists of places they’ve discovered on platforms like HappyCow or from influencers. And businesses are listening!
Tour operators and websites have taken notice of this trend as well. It is now possible to reserve plant-based-themed bus tours or even F&B-centred experiences through domestic travel websites, and whether these experiences are in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or Phuket, you can rely on platforms, such as Siam Tickets, to conveniently help you reach your destination.
Vegan food's transformation in Thailand
There's a widespread myth that Thai cuisine is vegetarian or vegan by nature. It's true that vegetables and tofu are headliners, but fish sauce and shrimp paste creep into many classic dishes. But something is changing.
In Bangkok’s old town, Jay Fai’s legacy of wok-fired flavours coexists with new vegan kitchens serving jackfruit larb and coconut cream-based curries. Restaurants like Broccoli Revolution and Vistro have built menus entirely around plant-based innovation. And it’s not limited to Bangkok! Chiang Mai, with its artsy expat vibe, is a haven for cruelty-free cuisine, with places like Goodsouls Kitchen and Free Bird Café becoming tourist magnets in their own right.
The explosion of annual vegetarian festivals, particularly the legendary Phuket Vegetarian Festival, has also increased interest. Though initially religious, they've since become a destination for food tourists around the globe, who arrive for the show and remain for bowls of mock-meat tom yum.
Tourism has been a prime driver of taking these trends from niche to mass. Travellers require it so cafes and kitchens oblige. And what began as a vegan-friendly adjustment becomes a menu norm!
Thai street food is an institution. Yet even the most traditional vendors must now bow to the pressure to change. QR code menus, plant-based alternatives, and Instagram-worthy presentations are not unusual any more; they're the norm!
This shift is partially attributed to the tourist population. Night markets in areas such as Krabi, Pai, or Koh Lanta now commonly feature vegan stalls alongside stands selling grilled meat. In Phuket, there are night markets with whole aisles dedicated to plant-based stalls, ranging from vegan spring rolls to banana blossom tacos and soy-based sticks smothered in satay sauce.
Street food tourism also creates an environment of experimentation. Vendors are no longer solely serving locals. They're being reviewed online by globally based food vloggers. A single viral video can equate to a rush of demand, and that's taking street food culture to be more ambitious, polished, and diverse!
It is not only the street stalls catering to tourism. Thailand's upscale dining scene has been revolutionised by its international clientele as well. While Bangkok's Michelin-starred restaurants keep getting thumbs up, the fashion is changing.
Thai chefs increasingly take local ingredients and express them from an international perspective. Consider fermented mango with tamarind jus or mushroom nam phrik with artisan bread. These are not gimmicks. They're reactions to tourist taste buds craving Thai authenticity and contemporary dining expectations simultaneously.
Tourism has been a prime driver of taking these trends from niche to mass. Travellers require it so cafes and kitchens oblige. And what began as a vegan-friendly adjustment becomes a menu norm!
Street food remains king, but with new entrants
Thai street food is an institution. Yet even the most traditional vendors must now bow to the pressure to change. QR code menus, plant-based alternatives, and Instagram-worthy presentations are not unusual any more; they're the norm!
This shift is partially attributed to the tourist population. Night markets in areas such as Krabi, Pai, or Koh Lanta now commonly feature vegan stalls alongside stands selling grilled meat. In Phuket, there are night markets with whole aisles dedicated to plant-based stalls, ranging from vegan spring rolls to banana blossom tacos and soy-based sticks smothered in satay sauce.
Street food tourism also creates an environment of experimentation. Vendors are no longer solely serving locals. They're being reviewed online by globally based food vloggers. A single viral video can equate to a rush of demand, and that's taking street food culture to be more ambitious, polished, and diverse!
Fine dining isn't omitted; it's being reimagined
It is not only the street stalls catering to tourism. Thailand's upscale dining scene has been revolutionised by its international clientele as well. While Bangkok's Michelin-starred restaurants keep getting thumbs up, the fashion is changing.
Thai chefs increasingly take local ingredients and express them from an international perspective. Consider fermented mango with tamarind jus or mushroom nam phrik with artisan bread. These are not gimmicks. They're reactions to tourist taste buds craving Thai authenticity and contemporary dining expectations simultaneously.
Plant-based high-end cuisine is also gaining traction. Haoma and Bonita Café and Social Club are two restaurants that have launched tasting menus consisting wholly of locally-sourced vegan produce. Most such establishments are also eco-friendly spaces, incorporating sustainability into the F&B narrative.
Even in more conventional contexts, high-end resorts throughout Thailand have overhauled their F&B options to incorporate vegan degustation menus, gluten-free teas, and regionally-sourced health juices. Why? Because foreign visitors request it, book it, and review it!
While Bangkok often grabs the spotlight, Thailand’s regional culinary scenes are just as dynamic and increasingly shaped by tourism.
In the north, Chiang Rai’s hill tribe cuisine is gaining more exposure, with local chefs using herbs, roots, and mushrooms in inventive ways. Many visitors now opt for hands-on cooking classes in these villages, taking home recipes that would otherwise never leave the hills.
In Isaan, where salads are spicy and meats are grilled, tourism has spurred the resurrection of lost dishes. Pop-up restaurants and kitchen residencies are assisting young cooks to reinterpret regional classics for a global audience.
Travellers in Udon Thani or Khon Kaen can now eat in a room where fermented fish dip is reinterpreted using heirloom vegetables and served with local rice wines.
Tourism doesn't only bring guests in, it opens doors for under-represented voices of the culinary world to emerge!
The benefits extend beyond restaurants. Farmers, foragers, and local producers also gain. As more restaurants, cafes, and hotels embrace farm-to-table, rural communities gain a new source of income.
Agritourism is one of them. Travellers are now staying at organic farms in Mae Rim or fruit orchards in Rayong. They are not passive vacations. Tourists harvest herbs, cook with locals, and dine on what they grew. That engagement is nourishing both the belly and the local economy.
Meanwhile, back in the cities, weekend farmers' markets, frequently advertised on tourist websites and social sites, are featuring small-batch items such as mushroom jerky, coconut cheese for vegans, or butterfly pea flower-brewed kombucha. None of this happens in a vacuum. The demand is created by tourism, and the payoff returns to the F&B industry.
Here's the thing: food is no longer just responding to tourism. It's now becoming a reason people travel. Thailand is aware of this and is starting to capitalise on it strategically.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has introduced dedicated food trails of experience, ranging from noodle-hopping in Ayutthaya to forest-foraged meals in Nan. Travel operators now promote packages with vegan-friendly circuits, ranging from temple visits complemented by plant-based cooking classes.
Even in more conventional contexts, high-end resorts throughout Thailand have overhauled their F&B options to incorporate vegan degustation menus, gluten-free teas, and regionally-sourced health juices. Why? Because foreign visitors request it, book it, and review it!
Tourism constructs regional food identities
While Bangkok often grabs the spotlight, Thailand’s regional culinary scenes are just as dynamic and increasingly shaped by tourism.
In the north, Chiang Rai’s hill tribe cuisine is gaining more exposure, with local chefs using herbs, roots, and mushrooms in inventive ways. Many visitors now opt for hands-on cooking classes in these villages, taking home recipes that would otherwise never leave the hills.
In Isaan, where salads are spicy and meats are grilled, tourism has spurred the resurrection of lost dishes. Pop-up restaurants and kitchen residencies are assisting young cooks to reinterpret regional classics for a global audience.
Travellers in Udon Thani or Khon Kaen can now eat in a room where fermented fish dip is reinterpreted using heirloom vegetables and served with local rice wines.
Tourism doesn't only bring guests in, it opens doors for under-represented voices of the culinary world to emerge!
Local producers and small farms prosper from food tourism
The benefits extend beyond restaurants. Farmers, foragers, and local producers also gain. As more restaurants, cafes, and hotels embrace farm-to-table, rural communities gain a new source of income.
Agritourism is one of them. Travellers are now staying at organic farms in Mae Rim or fruit orchards in Rayong. They are not passive vacations. Tourists harvest herbs, cook with locals, and dine on what they grew. That engagement is nourishing both the belly and the local economy.
Meanwhile, back in the cities, weekend farmers' markets, frequently advertised on tourist websites and social sites, are featuring small-batch items such as mushroom jerky, coconut cheese for vegans, or butterfly pea flower-brewed kombucha. None of this happens in a vacuum. The demand is created by tourism, and the payoff returns to the F&B industry.
What's next: Food as a driver of tourism, not merely an amenity!
Here's the thing: food is no longer just responding to tourism. It's now becoming a reason people travel. Thailand is aware of this and is starting to capitalise on it strategically.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has introduced dedicated food trails of experience, ranging from noodle-hopping in Ayutthaya to forest-foraged meals in Nan. Travel operators now promote packages with vegan-friendly circuits, ranging from temple visits complemented by plant-based cooking classes.
Growth is in a cycle. The greater variety of food available, the stronger niche tourism is. The greater the number of tourists that come for food, the more varied the options become. It's not a fad. It's a change in the way food and tourism intersect! (Image source: Unsplash)
