Thailand’s foreign tourism boom: 10 million visitors fuel 500 billion windfall

Thailand has welcomed over 10 million foreign tourists this year alone, leading to revenue exceeding 500 billion baht, reported the Tourism and Sports Ministry. The data, up to date as of yesterday, shows 10,723,953 foreign visitors have contributed to an income of 518 billion baht (US$14 billion).

Chinese tourists led the pack with over 2 million visitors, followed by 1.39 million from Malaysia, 695,624 from Russia, 619,186 from South Korea, and 546,935 from India, as stated by the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

The ministry holds an ambitious target of enticing 40 million foreign visitors this year, a figure that matches the pre-pandemic numbers from 2019. A projected income of 3 trillion baht (US$82 billion) from both domestic and foreign tourists is expected by year-end.

Reflecting on the previous year, over 28 million foreign arrivals resulted in an income of 1.2 trillion baht (US$33 billion), as per the ministry’s records.

Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, the Tourism and Sports Minister, revealed that 735,802 foreign travellers visited Thailand from April 8 to April 14, averaging 105,115 visitors per day. This is an approximately 19% increase compared to the previous week’s 617,800.

During this period, the majority of visitors were Malaysian nationals, numbering 150,390, followed by 148,653 from China, 36,056 from India, 34,671 from Russia, and 30,427 from South Korea.

Sudawan anticipates a continued rise in foreign visitors due to factors such as the end of Ramadan, which is expected to trigger a surge in tourists from Malaysia, as well as free-visa agreements with several countries.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin expressed his delight at the news of over 10 million tourists visiting this year, reported Bangkok Post.

“Things have improved. The figures have increased by more than 140% compared to the previous year. I believe this year will see a huge number of foreign visitors to Thailand. I also hope that officials will improve immigration control systems to ensure visitors avoid long queues and lengthy waits.”

The 62 year old Thai prime minister made these remarks during his visit to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Chan Song La residence, marking the Songkran festival. He expressed optimism based on the positive feedback from immigration offices and tourism agencies.

“During Songkran, the tourism industry has received a huge boost with a substantial amount of money circulating.”