Thailand tourism earns 1.66 trillion baht from 35 million visitors
Thailand welcomed over 35 million travellers in 2024, with visitors contributing more than 1.6 trillion baht (US$46.8 billion) to the economy, reported the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Tourism Minister Sorawong Thienthong announced that from January 1 to December 29, a total of 35.32 million people visited the country, spending 1.66 trillion baht (US$48.5 billion).
Chinese tourists led the influx with 6.70 million arrivals, followed by Malaysians with 4.93 million, Indians with 2.12 million, South Koreans with 1.86 million, and Russians with 1.72 million. Domestically, Thais embarked on 197.53 million trips within the nation, spending 952.77 billion baht (US$27.8 billion).
In the last week alone, Thailand saw 943,269 arrivals, marking the highest weekly rate since 2020. Sorawong noted an uptick in both short and long-haul visitors across various market segments.
“The past fortnight has seen Malaysia leading with about 100,000 weekly arrivals,” he stated, “followed by tourists from China, Russia, India, and South Korea.”
Interestingly, there was a significant increase in visitors from Russia, Malaysia, and India by 17.01%, 7.86%, and 5.14% respectively, compared to the previous week. Conversely, tourist numbers from China and South Korea saw a decline, with decreases of 7.86% and 6.51% respectively.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, recognised that the revenue figures fell short of the anticipated 3 trillion baht (US$87.7 billion) due to global economic challenges, conflicts in the Middle East, and gaps in tracking tourists’ online expenditures.
“Our target was 2 trillion baht (US$58.5 billion) from international tourism and 930 billion baht (US$27.2 billion) from domestic tourism,” she explained. Despite the shortfall exceeding 400 billion baht (US$11.7 billion), both international and domestic tourist numbers reached the top targets, reported Bangkok Post.
The tourism sector generated 2.6 trillion baht (US$76 billion) for the economy in 2023, reflecting a 25% increase compared to the previous year.
In related news, Thailand’s back on the world’s travel map with a record-breaking wave of tourists flooding its shores, boosting the nation’s coffers and setting sights on even sunnier outcomes.
