According to a government official, between January and May 18, when China’s border reopened, Thailand welcomed one million Chinese tourists.
Anucha Burapachaisri, a government spokesperson, said in a statement that the government anticipates the number of Chinese tourists to reach its objective of 5 million this year and spend a total of 446 billion baht ($13.18 billion).
In contrast to the 11 million tourists that traveled there prior to the 2019 epidemic, approximately 274,000 Chinese tourists did so last year, or about 28% of all visitors.
The government previously reported that there were 9.47 million international tourists overall from January to mid-May, down from the 11.15 million who came in the entire year of 2022.
The second-largest economy in Southeast Asia expanded more quickly than anticipated in the first quarter, propelled by a sustained uptick in the vital tourist industry, a significant source of employment that was severely damaged by the COVID-19 outbreak.
