BANGKOK: Thailand has welcomed 10.72 million foreign tourist arrivals with 1.39 million of them coming from Malaysia, bringing in tourism receipts of 518 billion baht (RM67.18 billion) to date.
Statistics from the Tourism and Sports Ministry show from Jan 1 to April 14, Chinese tourists made up the top five international visitors to the kingdom at more than two million, followed by Malaysians, Russians (695,624), South Koreans (619,186), and Indians (546,935).
Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said 735,802 foreign visitors visited Thailand from April 8 to 14, or an average of 105,115 visitors per day.
“The number of foreign visitors is expected to continue to rise because of several factors, including the end of Ramadan, which many predict will see an increase in tourists from Malaysia, as well as the free-visa agreements with certain countries,“ she said.
Thailand has set a target of attracting 40 million foreign visitors this year, the same as the pre-pandemic figure recorded in 2019.
It has projected an income of three trillion baht from both domestic and foreign tourists by the end of the year.
