First 9 months of 2023 see just 18 million arrivals, far lower than Thailand’s 30 million projection
The latest figures from the Tourism and Sports Ministry show that Thailand has welcomed more than 18 million foreigners from January 1 to September 3.
The arrivals have, so far, generated up to 755.72 billion baht in revenue.
Thailand’s projection for the tourism industry this year is up to 30 million arrivals with an injection of 1.5 trillion baht.
The top five countries with the highest number of arrivals are:
• Malaysia: 2,920,803
• China: 2,230,707
• South Korea: 1,072,928
• India: 1,033,582
• Russia: 930,696
Last week alone saw 505,006 foreign arrivals, which translates to an average of 72,229 visitors daily.
This year has seen a 15.51% increase in tourists from Malaysia, though tourists from China, South Korea and India have reduced by 27.08%, 10.60% and 4.28%, respectively. Arrivals from the Asean region have risen by 8.22% overall.
The ministry, however, expects the number of foreign arrivals to start dropping from next week because it is not peak travel season in many countries. Plus, fluctuations in fuel costs affecting the aviation industry and the Russia-Ukraine conflict influencing foreign exchange rates are also expected to hurt the travel industry.
