Image from The Nation Thailand/ANN
BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand from January 1 to December 1, this year reached 32,020,169 visitors, generating approximately 1.5 trillion baht in revenue, according to official data from the Tourism and Sports ministry of Thailand.
China ranked as the top source of tourists with 6,214,226 visitors, followed by Malaysia (4,506,898), India (1,915,152), South Korea (1,685,600), and Russia (1,503,312).
However, last week saw a slowdown in tourist arrivals across nearly all market groups, particularly Malaysian tourists, due to flooding in key destinations like Hat Yai, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Malaysian arrivals dropped by 18,161 people, a 22.18% decline from the previous week, contributing to a 6.76% overall decline in short-haul market arrivals.
Long-haul markets also showed a seasonal dip, a typical trend before an anticipated increase in December.
Last week, Thailand recorded a total of 706,382 foreign tourists, a decrease of 42,924 visitors or 5.73% over the end of November. The average daily number of foreign arrivals was 100,912.
The top five foreign tourist markets were - 1. China: 118,216 tourists (down 3.12%); 2. Malaysia: 63,725 tourists (down 22.18%); 3. Russia: 47,914 tourists (down 4.13%); India: 46,350 tourists (up 0.20%); South Korea: 38,272 tourists (down 1.76%).
The number of foreign tourists is however expected to increase in the coming week, as the peak travel season for long-haul markets, particularly from Europe, kicks in.
A 10% increase in seat capacity to Thailand from July through the end of the year, government initiatives to ease travel, including the waiver of TM6 immigration forms at land border checkpoints, and efforts to encourage airlines to increase flight frequencies to accommodate demand have also contributed to the rising numbers. - The Nation Thailand/ANN
