Thailand says 1 million Chinese tourists visited from January to mid-May
- Last year about 274,000 Chinese people headed to the Southeast Asian country, compared with 11 million in pre-pandemic 2019
- The authorities expect the number of Chinese visitors to be 5-7 million this year, spending at least US$13 billion
Chinese tourist arrivals in Thailand have exceeded 1 million since the start of the year, bolstered by a surge in flights following Beijing’s move to reopen its borders.
Flights from China to Thailand rose 98 per cent from a year earlier to 12,805 between October and April, Thai government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement on Sunday, citing data from Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd.
Inbound flights from China are expected at about 46,175 in the 2023 financial year, which runs from October 2022 to September 2023, according to the firm.
The 1 million milestone reached on May 18 comes as Thai hotel resort operators and other firms linked to the tourism industry benefit from pent-up travel demand that has seen a recovery in Chinese people holidaying abroad.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is maintaining its official forecast of Chinese visitors at 5 million during 2023, generating some 446 billion baht (US$12.8 billion) of tourism revenue.
Still, arrivals from China could jump to as high as 7 million, depending on the number of flights during the high season between October and March, the authority said. Thailand welcomed 9.47 million foreign tourists since the start of the year to May 15, generating about 391 billion baht of revenue, according to the government.
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Last year, about 274,000 Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian country, compared with 11 million in pre-pandemic 2019.
Overall tourist arrivals to Thailand have topped 2 million every month between December and April this year, according to official data. Thailand’s Finance Ministry sees international arrivals at 29.5 million this year, more than twice last year’s tally of 11.2 million.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter of this year, driven by the continued pickup in the crucial tourism sector, a key source of jobs that was decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Additional reporting by Reuters
