Tourist Arrivals Up Again in Thailand
Thailand recorded another increase in overseas visitor numbers for the month of May, according to a report by theedgemarkets.com.
Figures reveal that tourist arrivals grew by 6.35 percent year-on-year to a total of 2.7 million. Visitors from China, Malaysia and India led the way, reported Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism.
According to official data, overseas visitors spent THB136.7 billion (US$XX) in May, marking an increase of 9 percent compared to the same period in 2017.
Overall, tourist arrivals from January to May rose by 12.62 percent year-on-year, climbing to a total of 16.46 million people. Spending in this period saw an increase of 16.11 percent to THB867.5 billion
Chinese and Indian visitors have been cited as the biggest markets driving revenue this year, according to itij.com. The period from January to April saw visitors from these countries grow by an impressive 30 percent and 17 percent, respectively, compared to the same period in 2017. These numbers contributed to overall visitor arrivals totalling 13.7 million for the first quarter, up 13.9 percent compared to the same period last year.
April also saw a dramatic increase in overseas visitor arrivals, which were up by 9.38 percent compared with April 2017. Historically, April is a popular time to visit the Kingdom thanks to the additional activities and events surrounding the Songkran festival. Songkran marks the official start of Thailand’s green season, and is celebrated with many water-related festivities. This year, a number of special family-oriented events were also organised for those keen to celebrate the Thai New Year.
According to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the total number of overseas arrivals in April hit 3,092,725. The top 10 most popular source markets during this period were China, India, Malaysia, Laos, Russia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the US and the UK. The only region not to show strong growth during this period was the Middle East.
Last month, Thai tourism officials also launched a new initiative to attract more visitors from Canada, as they opened a new Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) office in Toronto.