December 26, 2017 | 14:38 (GMT+7)
Thailand sees tourist arrivals up 23.2 percent in November
Thailand welcomed 3 million foreign tourists in November, up 23.2 percent from the same month a year earlier, the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports said on December 25.
The country saw a total of 31.85 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first 11 months, up 8.1 percent from the previous year.
According to Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent-secretary of the Ministry, Thailand expects a record 35.4 million visitors in total this year, up 9 percent from the previous year, with Chinese tourists numbering an estimated 10 million.
Thailand's tourism industry is a major employer and accounts for 12 percent of the country’s economy. The sector’s revenue is forecast to grow eight percent this year, higher than the annual average increase by 3-5 percent. It aims to lure high-spending and long-stay tourists.
In 2016, the number of visitors was a record 32.6 million visitors.
Source: VNA