BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): The rise in tourists and air traffic was driven by the lifting of Covid restrictions in many countries, especially China, as well as extended holidays and the start of the tourism high season.
Air passenger numbers rose 11.68% in the first quarter this year from the same period last year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT).
The first three months of 2023 saw a total of 30.63 million trips, up 3.57 million from last year.
The number of domestic passengers rose by 2.8% while international passenger volume increased 21.92%.
The rise was driven by the lifting of Covid restrictions in many countries, especially China, as well as extended holidays and the start of the tourism high season.
Foreign arrivals in the first quarter this year surged to 4 million, with the highest number coming from Malaysia at 594,112, followed by Russia (413,525), South Korea (326,902), China (247,497), the US (164,416), Germany (153,329), the UK (151,590), Laos (141,395), and Vietnam (140,919).
As for outbound travel from Thailand, the top five destinations were Japan (81%), South Korea (52%), New Zealand (43%), Singapore (41%) and the UK (35%), according to Visa International (Thailand) records.
The easing of Japan's foreign visitor entry rules helped boost the number of visits by Thai tourists.
Based on air bookings, the projected top 10 destinations for outbound travellers from Thailand in the second quarter of this year are:
1. Germany (18.47%)
2. South Korea (14.32%)
3. The UK (13.36%)
4. Japan (11.79%)
5. Hong Kong (8.45%)
6. Australia (8.27%)
7. United States (8.04%)
8. France (6.14%)
9. Taiwan (5.61%)
10. Switzerland (5.55%)
