Thailand welcomes nearly 6 million international tourists in first 8 weeks of the year

Figures released by Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudawan Wangsupakijkosol show that 5,981,234 foreign visitors came to Thailand from January 1 to February 25, generating revenue of about 290.92 billion baht for the "Land of Golden Temples".

During this period, China was the leading source market of foreign tourists to Thailand with 1,114,316 arrivals, followed by Malaysia with 59,828 arrivals, Russia with 397,006 arrivals, South Korea with 387,475 arrivals and India with 293,129 arrivals.

The Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports expects the number of foreign visitors to increase again this week (February 26 - March 3), thanks to the permanent visa exemption agreement between Thailand and China, as well as the increase in the number of flights to Thailand.

Thailand and China have agreed to permanently waive visa requirements for each other's citizens starting March 1, immediately after the previous visa waiver policy expired. Thailand implemented the visa waiver policy from September 2023, starting with a five-month visa waiver for visitors from China and Kazakhstan, followed by India and Taiwan (China) in November.

The ministry has set a tourism revenue target of 3.5 trillion baht for 2024, of which 2.3 trillion baht will come from about 40 million foreign visitors. Meanwhile, domestic tourists will contribute 1.2 trillion baht with about 200-220 million trips.