BANGKOK – Thailand welcomed nearly 25 million foreign tourists from 1 January to 24 October, generating more than 1.21 trillion baht in spending, although arrivals remained 4.43% lower than the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The country received 501,965 international visitors during the week of 18-24 October, up 2.99% from the previous week, or an average of 71,709 arrivals per day, Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said.
Long-haul markets led the weekly increase, with 199,954 visitors, up 12.03% week on week, as European and American travellers entered a short school holiday period and Thailand approached its winter tourism season.
Russian arrivals rose 25.45% from the previous week, while visitors from the United States increased 11.52%. India also recorded strong growth, with arrivals climbing 18.09%, supported by travel demand around the Hindu festival of Navaratri.
Short-haul markets recorded 302,011 visitors, down 2.24% week on week. Arrivals from China fell 24.17%, despite increases from other major markets.
The five largest source markets during the week were Malaysia, with 62,724 visitors, followed by China with 49,494, India with 48,089, Russia with 34,986 and the United States with 20,167.
The ministry expects arrivals to increase in the following week, supported by the winter tourism season and additional flights from India. New or increased services include routes from Gaya and Guwahati to Don Mueang airport, and from Kochi and Visakhapatnam to Suvarnabhumi airport.
From 1 January to 24 October, Thailand recorded a total of 24,925,645 foreign visitors, generating 1.21 trillion baht in tourism spending. China remained the largest source market year to date, with 4.19 million visitors, followed by Malaysia with 3.16 million, India with 1.88 million, Russia with 1.37 million and South Korea with 912,597.