KUALA LUMPUR - Thailand received more than 14 million foreign tourists between Jan 1 and May 31, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
The country recorded 14,032,649 international arrivals during the period, a decline of 2.3% compared with the same period last year.
Foreign visitors generated about THB679.27 billion in tourism revenue during the first five months of the year.
China remained Thailand’s largest source market with 2.32 million visitors.
Malaysia ranked second with 1.74 million arrivals, followed by India with 1.06 million visitors.
Russia and South Korea completed the top five source markets with 946,732 and 539,848 arrivals respectively.
Tourism and Sports Minister, Surasak Phancharoenworakul said foreign tourist arrivals surpassed 14 million by the end of May.
He said Thailand saw strong demand from short-haul markets during the week of May 25 to 31, with more than 470,000 visitors arriving in the country.
The increase was supported by consecutive public holidays in several countries, including Eid al-Fitr celebrations and the Vesak Day long weekend in Singapore.
Malaysian arrivals recorded the strongest growth during the week, with more than 186,000 visitors entering Thailand.
The figure represented an increase of more than 110 per cent compared with the previous week.
Singapore also rose to become Thailand’s fourth-largest source market during the week, moving up from sixth place previously.
Thailand welcomed a total of 2.35 million foreign tourists throughout May.
Overall weekly arrivals reached 603,792 visitors, an increase of 83,256 people or 15.99% from the previous week.
The figure was equivalent to an average of 86,256 foreign arrivals per day.
Malaysian tourists led weekly arrivals with 185,721 visitors, followed by Chinese tourists at 81,097 and Indian tourists at 52,736.
Singapore contributed 22,333 visitors, while Russia recorded 17,958 arrivals during the same period.
Authorities expect tourist arrivals to ease slightly in the coming weeks despite continued support from stable energy supplies and efforts to strengthen Thailand’s image as a safe destination.
The government also expects its Trusted Thailand campaign to continue supporting tourism growth throughout the year.
