Thailand attracts over 12m foreign tourists in first four months 2017

BANGKOK, May 16 (TNA) - The Ministry of Tourism and Sports reports that Thailand had attracted over 12 million foreign tourists during the first four months of this year, earning the Kingdom over 621.65 billion baht. Thai Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Pongpanu Svetarundra told a press conference of the update on Tuesday. Pongpanu said the number of international tourist arrivals in Thailand during the January-April 2017 period was a 2.91 per cent year-on-year increase, while the country's tourism-related revenues rose 4.71 per cent from the corresponding period of last year, thanks to the growing trend of global travels. Pongpanu noted that in April alone, Thailand welcomed more than 2.83 million international visitors, most of whom, or more than 1.88 million, came from East Asia, followed by those from Europe, South Asia, Oceania, Middle East and Africa. The senior official pointed out that top 10 nationals of international tourist arrivals in Thailand during the first four months of this year included Chinese, Malaysian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Indian, German, American and Singaporean visitors. According to the senior official, top 10 foreign nationals who spent most in Thailand during the January-April period included those from China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, the United States, Australia, Korea, Germany, Japan and India respectively. Meanwhile, the senior official reported that the number of Thai people travelling in the country stood at about 49.58 million during the first quarter of this year, a 3.22 per cent year-on-year increase, while the top five areas where Thai people visited during the period inclded Bangkok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Kanchanaburi respectively. (TNA)