Nearly 18.5 million foreign tourists have visited Thailand so far this year, with the Malaysians leading the way. Of the total number of foreign tourists to visit the kingdom this year, 3 million were Malaysian.
According to the tourism ministry, revenue from tourist spending stands at more than 775 billion baht. It’s forecasting a total of 28 million foreign visitors to the kingdom this year, with a big surge predicted during the peak end-of-year holiday season.
Between January 1 and September 3, 2023, the top 5 countries sending holidaymakers to Thailand are as follows:
Malaysia: 2,920,803
China: 2,230,707
South Korea: 1,072,928
India: 1,033,582
Russia: 930,696
The downturn in Chinese visitors has previously been blamed on the sluggish Chinese economy and people deciding to save money by holidaying at home. The Chinese government has also introduced a number of stimulus measures to boost domestic tourism.
Last week, Thailand welcomed a total of 505,006 foreign travellers, equal to a daily average of 72,229. While there has been a downturn in visitors from China, South Korea, and India, by 27.08%, 10.60% and 4.28%, respectively, the numbers from Malaysia have increased by 15.51%. Overall ASEAN arrivals have increased by 8.22%.
However, the tourism ministry says international arrivals could start to drop off from next week, given that it is not a peak travel period for many countries. The situation is not helped by fluctuating fuel prices that are posing a challenge for the aviation sector, and Russia’s war on Ukraine, which continues to affect foreign exchange rates.
SOURCE: The Star
