BANGKOK, Sept 17 – The number of tourist arrivals to Thailand for the first seven months of this year grew unexpectedly at 20 per cent.
Government Spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi spoke after the Cabinet meeting today of the tourism situation following the Ministry of Tourism and Sports report.
The number of tourist arrivals from January through July this year exceeded 14.9 million, a 20.77 per cent increase, and the figure continues to grow.
In July alone, 2.2 million tourists entered Thailand, or an increase of 400,000 persons, or 22.47 per cent, year-on-year, which indicated the country’s strongly positive growth for tourism.
Thailand’s top-ten foreign traveller countries of origin are China, Japan, South Korea, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Singapore, India, Australia, and Russia, in that order.
Mr Teerat said Thailand projected tourism arrivals more accurately than a forecast made by the World Tourism Organisation at 3-4 per cent.
