Foreign arrivals pass 21 million in seven months
The number of arrivals by foreign tourists has passed the 21 million mark, the Tourism and Sports Ministry announced on Tuesday.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanich said a total of 21.045 million foreign tourists had visited Thailand from January 1 to August 4, an increase of 33% year on year.
During the first seven months of this year, the top five nations whose citizens visited Thailand are:
- China: 4,229,268 tourists
- Malaysia: 2,925,755 tourists
- India: 1,218,453 tourists
- South Korea: 1,117,576 tourists
- Russia: 1,015,762 tourists
Sermsak said the past week of July 29 to August 4 saw 710,237 foreign arrivals, mainly because the summer holidays in Europe had started, and short-haul tourists from China, South Korea, and Japan began traveling abroad during their countries' school holidays.
The top five nationalities of foreign tourists visiting Thailand during the past week were:
- 161,159 Chinese tourists
- 87,833 Malaysian tourists
- 43,784 South Korean tourists
- 32,165 Indian tourists
- 26,788 Laotian tourists
Sermsak expected an increased number of foreign tourists this week due to school and summer holidays, coupled with the Thai government’s ease of travel measures, including free visas and an increased number of flights.
