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THAILAND recorded the arrival of one million Chinese tourists between January and May 18, a government official said on Sunday, May 28, 2023. The figure was obtained after China’s borders reopened.
The government expects the number of visitors from China to meet its target of 5 million this year with an expenditure of 446 billion Baht (IDR193 trillion), government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement.
Last year, around 274,000 Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian country. This number is very low compared to pre-pandemic 2019 which reached 11 million people or around 28 percent of the total.
Overall, foreign tourist arrivals were 9.47 million from January to mid-May, the government said, compared with 11.15 million visitors in 2022.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter, driven by a continued increase in the crucial tourism sector, a key source of jobs devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. [sources/photo special]
