Thailand poised to break through 40 million arrivals in 2019

Thailand welcomed a record 38.27 million tourists in 2018.

That’s up 7.5 percent from 2017 arrival figures. The Thai tourism ministry announced the figures this morning. In December, tourist arrivals amounted to 3.85 million.

The ministry is also expecting the number of tourists visiting Thailand in 2019 to increase by another 7.5 percent.

For 2019, the ministry expects to break through the 40 million arrivals mark with 41.1 million tourists set to spend 2.21 trillion baht.

Chinese visitors – Thailand’s most fruitful source of tourists for the past four years- is projected to rise another 11 percent to 11.69 million, according to the Tourism Ministry.

Foreign tourist spending accounts for 12 percent of Thailand’s GDP (gross domestic product), according to the Ministry statement.