Tourist arrivals in Thailand are continuing to rise, according to a new report from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. This year, Thailand welcomed more than 22 million visitors between January and July, representing an 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The latest wave of visitors also reportedly spent a total of 1.18 trillion baht during this time, representing growth of 14.44 percent and a significant boon for the nation’s economy.
The latest figures revealed that China accounts for the largest number of visitors (6,860,924), and also the most pronounced increase in arrivals overall (21.44%). Visitors from Malaysia and Korea are next in line, contributing more than 2 million and 1 million visitors to Thailand respectively. ASEAN countries generated over 5.62 million arrivals, while arrivals from Europe were up 6.37 percent to 4.05 million; Russia is confirmed as the largest source market out of Europe, with arrivals of 900,712, up by 16.24 percent. Arrivals from the Americas were up 2.99 percent to 948,872; the main market, USA, grew by 5.82 percent to 656,327; and arrivals from South Asia grew by 12.11 percent to 1,133,057. India topped the list with arrivals of 919,130, representing an increase of 13.24 percent.
“This strong growth is very encouraging in terms of numbers, but even more important are some of the emerging new trends,†stated Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, who is the Governor at Tourism Authority Thailand (TAT). The trends to which the Governor alluded include a 23.3 percent increase in visitor arrivals by sea, along with higher hotel occupancies in emerging secondary provinces. Areas on the rise include Rayong, Suphan Buri, Chainat, Nakhon Pathom, Ang Thong and Phatthalung.
