The government has confirmed that Thailand received one million Chinese tourists between January and May 18, following China’s border reopening.
According to Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri, the government expects the number of Chinese visitors to meet its target of 5 million this year, with spending of 446 billion baht (US$13.18 billion).
Last year, only about 274,000 Chinese tourists visited the kingdom compared with 11 million in pre-pandemic 2019 – or about 28% of the total.
The government earlier said overall foreign tourist arrivals were 9.47 million from January to mid-May, compared with the 11.15 million visitors in the whole of 2022.
The Thai economy – the second largest in Southeast Asia – grew faster than expected in the first quarter, driven by the continued pickup in the crucial tourism sector, which has been a key source of jobs that was severely affected by the pandemic. (NNT)
