Tourist arrivals to Thailand grew 19% in Feb

BANGKOK, March 22 (TNA) – Thailand recorded 3.5 million foreign tourists, mostly from East Asia or about 2.3 million people, said Permanent-Secretary of the tourism and sports ministry, Pongpanu Svetarundra. The number of visitors grew 19.33 per cent, compared to the same period last year. Chinese tourists were the largest group, accounting for 1.2 million people, up 51 per cent. Top ten countries of visitors to Thailand are China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Lao PDR, France, India, Germany and the US, respectively. The kingdom earned 195 million baht in revenue, a 23.78 per cent growth year-on-year. In the first two months of this year, Thailand welcomed 7.11 million visitors, a 14.96 per cent growth year-on-year. The country raked in 384 billion baht, up 17.47 per cent year-on-year. The permanent-secretary also said about domestic tourism that 12.48 million Thai people travelled in the country during the January’s campaign for domestic travellers, a 4.79 per cent growth in number. (TNA)