BANGKOK – Miss Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson, Minister of Tourism and Sports, revealed on Tuesday, February 13, that Thailand has attracted a large number of tourists in the past week during the Chinese New Year festival (February 5-11, 2024), particularly from East Asia and Southeast Asia such as China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea, in comparison to the previous week.
This brings Thailand’s total number of foreign tourists to 872,235, up from 102,227 the previous week, or 13.28%, with an average of 124,605 foreign tourists visiting Thailand each day.
The top five foreign visitors are from China (194,275), Malaysia (125,686), Russia (48,826), South Korea (48,643), and India (36,793).
The government had set a goal of 195,825 foreign tourists visiting for the Chinese New Year Festival (February 8-16, 2024), a 137% increase over the Chinese New Year Festival 2023 (January 19-27).
In terms of tourism revenue, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) anticipates total tourism income of 34,390 million baht, a 29% rise, with 995,000 foreign visitors projected to arrive, a 34% increase, generating income of 28,390 million baht, or a 36% increase.
Miss Sudawan stated that foreign tourists are expected to resume normal levels following the Chinese New Year holidays. The signing of visa waivers between Thailand and China has raised tourist confidence while enhancing travel convenience and airline frequency, while visa exemptions for India, Taiwan, and Kazakhstan are currently supporting Thai tourism.
As the next major event is Songkran, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced on Tuesday that the Cabinet has agreed to add Friday, April 12, 2024, as an April 12 to 16 national holiday during the festival to urge people to spend within the country and on domestic tourism.
He also directed the Minister of Tourism and Sports to further promote tourism in minor cities after the success of major provinces such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya, and Hua Hin.
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