Thailand welcomed 11.2 million foreign tourists in 2022, the highest number since the outbreak of Covid-19, as the country recovers from the pandemic.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand had announced 11.8 million arrivals foreign tourist at the beginning of the month, it seems that these figures have been reviewed and corrected.
The number of foreign tourists to Thailand has exceeded government expectations of 10 million visitors, due to a surge in arrivals in the latter part of the year.
Despite this, it only reached just over a quarter of the 40 million arrivals recorded in 2019, when foreign tourism receipts generated 1.9 trillion baht according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Tourism. Sports.
The government’s goal of attracting 25 million foreign holidaymakers in 2023 is set to gain momentum now that China has abandoned its zero-covid policy and reopened its borders.
Chinese citizens, who play a major role in the global travel industry, will again be able to travel in groups to some countries, including Thailand, from Feb. 6.
China has only allowed group travel to 20 countries, so Thailand, which is in the top 5 favorite countries for Chinese tourists, should take full advantage.
To see : China allows group travel to resume in Thailand
Thailand expects seven to 10 million Chinese travelers to arrive by air this year, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.
Malaysian visitors topped international arrivals with 1.95 million people last year, followed by Indian tourists (997,913) and Singaporeans (614,627), according to official data.
Chinese tourists totaled just 273,567, far below the 11 million arrivals recorded in 2019, before Covid-19 hit global travel.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy attracted only around 428,000 foreign visitors in 2021.
The tourism industry had generated about 18% of GDP before the pandemic, according to government data.
On Tuesday, the Thai government approved a 3.95 billion baht budget to boost domestic tourism and attract foreigners, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said.
Domestic tourism will be allocated 2 billion baht from February to September, and the rest will be used to promote secondary cities to international travelers, he said.
Source : The Straits Times