BANGKOK, 18 Mar 2015 – The Department of Tourism has indicated that the Kingdom’s tourism sector has enjoyed a boost in the first quarter, thanks to a large influx of Chinese tourists.
According to the Department, tourists from mainland China have replaced the declining number of Russian visitors. The latter’s figure registered a negative growth of 45.97% in January given Russia’s current economic and political turmoil.
Department of Tourism Director-General Second Lieutenant Anuphab Kesornsuwan said that the number of tourists visiting Thailand in January was 2.65 million, a solid increase of 16.30% from the same period last year. The rise continued in February at 29.60% while in the first 13 days of this month the number of foreign visitors has already showed an increase of 27.6% year-on-year.
According to him, Thailand has become the number one destination for Chinese travellers in the first 2 months of this year. The Director-General pointed out the number would likely continue to grow as more and more Chinese individuals start to make their way to Thailand even though the figure of those coming with tour operators is on a decline.
Director-General Anuphab stated Bangkok is the most popular destination for these tourists, closely followed by Chiang Mai and Phuket.
The Director-General also said Thailand ranks 5th in terms of popularity for Japanese tourists, saying these visitors currently favor secondary tourism towns more than Bangkok.
