Thailand experienced a remarkable tourism boom in the first quarter of 2024, with the arrival of 9.37 million international tourists, a hefty 44% surge compared to the same period in 2023. The Tourism and Sports Ministry‘s announcement in April, revealed this significant increase, attributing it to the influx of visitors from various parts of the globe.
Tourism Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol announced that this influx of tourists has been a financial windfall for Thailand, raking in a whopping 454 billion baht (US$ 12.4 billion) in revenue. The top five nations contributing to this increase were China, with 1,756,337 visitors, Malaysia, with 1,168,574 tourists, Russia, with 622,813 visitors, South Korea, with 558,873 travellers, and India, contributing 472,952 tourists.
“The influx of tourists from Europe and Oceania, especially from the UK, has seen a significant surge over the past week, primarily due to the Easter holidays.” The past week welcomed a total of 644,328 international tourists to Thailand, marking a negligible drop of 6,990 or 1.07% as compared to the previous week. The daily average was tallied at 92,047 foreign tourists.
The minister highlighted that the number of tourists from the UK and Malaysia rose by 44.08% and 5.03% respectively, in comparison to the previous week. However, a decline was noted in the number of tourists from India, Russia, and China, with reductions of 15.13%, 8.10%, and 5.80% respectively, reported The Pattaya News.
Sudawan remains optimistic about the steady flow of tourists in the coming week, owing to several favourable factors. These include a visa waiver agreement between Thailand and China, an increase in flight frequencies by various airlines, and a visa exemption for tourists hailing from India, Taiwan, and Kazakhstan.
In related news, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is anticipating a robust tourism influx from North and South America this year, with a projection of at least 1.5 million tourists – a figure that mirrors the 2019 statistics. This surge is attributed to the confluence of the Songkran celebrations and the Easter holiday in April.
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