Thailand welcomed a total of 9,370,297 international travelers from January 1 to March 31, marking a 44 percent surge compared to the previous year.
As disclosed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, this influx of visitors has catalyzed a tourism revenue of approximately 454.65 billion baht for local Thai entrepreneurs, VisaGuide.World reports.
Chinese Visitors Account for the Largest Number of Tourists to Thailand
Leading the pack of foreign tourists to Thailand was China, contributing 1,756,337 arrivals, followed by Malaysia (1,168,574), Russia (622,813), South Korea (558,873), India
(472,952), Germany (315,033), Laos (308,097), the United Kingdom (290,486), the United States (280,248), and Japan (271,427).
During the January-March period, Thailand greeted 1.75 million visitors from China, marking the largest influx of tourists to the Southeast Asian nation, trailed by 1.16 million arrivals from Malaysia and 622,813 from Russia.
In this regard, the increasing number of inbound tourists was bolstered by government initiatives such as the visa-exemption scheme, notably the mutual visa-free agreement between Thailand and China, which became effective on March 1 of this year.
In addition, the government’s visa-free policy was introduced in September last year, beginning with a 5-month visa exemption for visitors from China and Kazakhstan, followed by India and Taiwan in November.
Thai Tourism Authority Aims for 8 Million Chinese Visitors in 2024
With joint efforts to highlight tourist attractions and expand flight routes connecting Thailand with major and secondary Chinese cities, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) remains committed to its target of attracting eight million tourists from China this year.
Thailand has targeted tourism revenue of 3.5 trillion baht (equivalent to approximately US$95.45 billion) in 2024, with expectations for continued growth in tourist arrivals. The same is aiming for a record of 40 million foreign visitors this year following the 28 million in 2023.
In the year before the 2019 pandemic, Chinese tourists accounted for roughly 28 percent of the nearly 40 million foreign visitors to Thailand. Tourism serves as a vital catalyst for the country’s economic growth, contributing about 12 percent to its gross domestic product.
Thailand’s Tourism Surge Leads to $2 Billion Surplus in February
In February 2024, Thailand’s economy experienced a significant increase, driven mainly by growth in the services sector and a rise in tourist arrivals, which offset a decline in exports from the previous month, as reported by the Bank of Thailand (BOT).
Thailand achieved a current account surplus of $2 billion during this month, following a deficit of $0.2 billion recorded in the previous month.