Thailand received 1 million tourists from China between January and May 18 after the Chinese border reopened, a Thai government official said Sunday, May 28, 2023. Government spokeswoman Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement that the government expects tourist arrivals from China to reach the target of 5 million this year, with spending of 446 billion baht ($13.18 billion).
About 274,000 Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian country last year, compared with 11 million before the pandemic in 2019, or about 28% of the total. The government earlier said foreign tourist arrivals reached 9.47 million from January to mid-May, compared to 11.15 million for the whole of 2022.
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Overall, there were 9.47 million foreign tourist arrivals between January and mid-May, compared to 11.15 million in 2022, the government said. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, driven by a sustained improvement in the important tourism sector, a major source of employment that was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: ChannelNewsasia
