BANGKOK: Malaysians led the list of international visitors to Thailand in 2023, with 4.56 million visitors.
Tourism and Sports Minister, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, highlighted that Thailand, known as ‘The Land of Smiles,‘ hosted a total of 28 million international visitors during the year.
This influx significantly boosted tourism revenue, amounting to 1.2 trillion baht (approximately RM161.52 billion). The top five nationalities visiting Thailand included Malaysians (4.56 million), Chinese (3.51 million), South Koreans (1.65 million), Indians (1.62 million), and Russians (1.48 million).
“An average of 112,807 tourists entered the kingdom each day, with the top five foreign tourists being Malaysians (123,540), followed by Chinese (101,003), Russians (52,893), South Koreans (41,830), and Indians (39,630),” she said in a statement.
Last year’s total foreign arrivals constituted an increase of 151 per cent from 2022.
Thailand expects to receive 35 million visitors in 2024, short of the record 39.8 million arrivals and 1.91 trillion baht in revenue it generated in 2019. -Bernama