The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the country is set to meet its target of 25 million overseas visitors by the end of 2023. Nation Thailand reports that between January 1 and November 25, the kingdom welcomed 24,081,613 foreign arrivals.
According to TAT governor, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, she is confident that Thailand will not only have met, but exceeded, the 25 million target by year-end.
Thapanee credits recent measures introduced by the government to boost the economy and tourism, as well as acknowledging the people of Thailand for being such gracious hosts.
(The number of Chinese tourist arrivals has stagnated since the introduction of visa-free travel in October.)
Malaysians continue to make up the bulk of foreign visitors this year, with 3.66 million having graced our shores, according to the TAT Governor.
(Again that number is skewed by the many Malaysians who cross the southern border for daily trade or just weekend stays in the southern provinces.)
Malaysian arrivals are followed by the Chinese at just over 3 million, the South Koreans with 1.43 million, Indian tourists at 1.4 million and Russians at 1.24 million.
Thapanee says a poll conducted in China shows that safety is the top priority for over 81% of Chinese travellers. This is a 34.7% increase when compared to the same survey conducted in 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Even with the Chinese government’s more stringent rules for outbound travel, Thailand is still among the top destinations that mainland Chinese want to visit.”
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
