April tourist arrivals in Thailand up nearly 10%

Thailand’s tourism racks up 13,701,411 visitors arriving in the first four months of 2018 – a 14% increase, year on year. For the same four months last year the passenger arrivals increased 3.35%.

In April alone arrivals were 3,092,725. This is up 9.38% year on year according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary, Pongpanu Svetarundra.

The top ten feeder countries in April are the same as the months before – China, Malaysia, Laos, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, US and UK.

The country’s appeal in East Asian markets increased 14.46%. European markets generated 508,000 visits, about the same as it has been for the three months before. South Asia supplied 153,000 visits, up 12.60%.

Chinese passenger arrivals were up to nearly one million in April alone, up 32%, year on year. Critics are saying the country should scale back promotions in China’s low-priced package tour markets and reduce the threat of ‘mass tourism’ by any single market.

Russian passenger growth is up 19% for the month of April.

South Korea arrivals are stable, declining a negligible 0.47%, but the 12.84% decline in UK visits to 87,000 would be a concern as the TaT look at the long-term visitor mix. China, Russia and Malaysia tourism provides the greatest revenue for the Kingdom with earnings from the Chinese tourists significant because their visits are usually much shorter than other tourists.