Thailand saw foreign tourist arrivals surpass 13 million so far this year, nearly half of the 30-million target by year’s end, the Tourism Ministry reported on Tuesday, with July alone seeing an influx of about 2.3 million.
The number of tourists has already surpassed 11.15 million for the entire year of 2022.
Compared to the record-breaking nearly 40 million international tourists who spent THB1.91 trillion in Thailand prior to the pandemic, this year’s influx of visitors has brought in THB538.2 billion in tourism revenue.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects to see 30 million arrivals this year as China has reopened the border.
However, some analysts warn that Thailand could miss its goal of hosting 30 million foreign tourists this year amid fewer-than-expected visitors from China.
RHB Bank said last week that Inbound arrivals from China to Thailand could drop slightly below 5 million, way below the 7 million expected by the government, citing the possibility of China’s economic activity slowing in the second half of this year will crimp demand for outbound tourism.
“We expect full-year tourism arrivals to disappoint official estimates,” said the bank. “Thailand’s tourism prognosis remains at best, neutral, given the recent slowdown in inbound tourism momentum.”
