Bangkok, 9 June, 2016 – Visitor arrivals to Thailand in January – April 2016, totalled 11,682,144, a growth of 14.12% over the same period of 2015. This is based on a 27.35% increase in arrivals from China, now by far the largest source of visitors, a resumption of growth from Russia and a strong performance by the ASEAN countries, especially Thailand’s neighbouring countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR. and Myanmar.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said, “Steady growing visitor arrivals are always good news. Thanks to the support and cooperation of all those who work in travel and tourism, the Royal Thai Government and all the private sector associations, we can prove that our vibrant industry is doing more than its fair share to ensure job creation, income distribution and economic well-being nationwide.”
Here is a summary of the key results:
Overview: Visitors from East Asia totalled 7,630,739 (+17.26%), Europe 2,526,784 (+8.89%), the Americas 502,627 (+13.76%), South Asia 459,157 (+8.72%), Middle East 226,973 (+11.36%) and Africa 51,566 (+6.44%). The only market reporting a slowdown was Oceania: 284,298 (-2.71%),
East Asia and ASEAN: East Asian and ASEAN visitor arrivals totalled 7.63 million or 65.32%, the biggest market share of all visitors.
The ASEAN countries generated over 2.74 million arrivals with growth from Cambodia (+40.42%), Myanmar (+40.01%), Lao PDR. (+25.46%), Philippines (+9.71%), Malaysia (+8.48%), Indonesia (+7.60%), Singapore (+4.23%), Brunei (+0.93%) and Vietnam (+0.24%).
Apart from China (3,445,501), the other top sources of arrivals were Malaysia (1,177,534), Korea (521,732), and Japan (487,332).
Europe: European visitors grew by 8.89% to 2.52 million. Russia retained its status as the largest source market with arrivals of 443,346, up 15.25%. The UK was next with arrivals of 369,671, up 10.12%, followed by Germany 345,095, up 8.33% and France 321,087, up 9.61%.
Arrivals also grew from Spain (+13.99%), Sweden (+10.29%), Italy (+8.73%), Netherlands (+8.33%), and Ireland (+7.50%).
The Americas: Arrivals from the Americas were up 13.76% to 502,627. The main market, the USA, up by 14.26% to 337,243. Arrivals from Canada were up 6.39%. Showing considerable promise are the Latin American markets; such as, Argentina (+66.58%).
South Asia: Arrivals from South Asia grew by 8.72% to 459,157. India topped the list with arrivals of 351,869, up 11.22%. Other countries reporting increases were Nepal (+47.95%) and Sri Lanka (+2.38%). Two countries reporting declines were Pakistan (-8.45%) and Bangladesh (-6.77%).
Oceania: Arrivals from Oceania declined by 2.71% to 284,298 visitors, largely due to lower arrivals from both Australia (-2.70%) and New Zealand (-2.44%).
Middle East: Arrivals from the Middle East were up 11.36% to 226,973 thanks to increased arrivals from Saudi Arabia (+34.04%), Egypt (+18.17%), and Kuwait (+0.21%). Only arrivals from the UAE were down -1.16%.
Africa: Arrivals from Africa grew by 6.44% to 51,566 including South Africa, up slightly by 0.12% to 22,528.
Top 10 markets for Thailand in January – April 2016
| Rank | Country | No. of Arrivals | % Share | %Change |
| 1 | China | 3,445,501 | 29.49 | +27.35 |
| 2 | Malaysia | 1,177,534 | 10.08 | +8.48 |
| 3 | Korea | 521,732 | 4.47 | +14.18 |
| 4 | Japan | 487,332 | 4.17 | +3.34 |
| 5 | Lao PDR. | 448,989 | 3.84 | +25.46 |
| 6 | Russia | 443,346 | 3.80 | +15.25 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 369,671 | 3.16 | +10.12 |
| 8 | India | 351,869 | 3.01 | +11.22 |
| 9 | Germany | 345,095 | 2.95 | +8.33 |
| 10 | USA | 337,243 | 2.89 | +14.26 |
Remark: Preliminary figures
Source: Immigration Office and Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports
In 2015, the Thai tourism industry hit the highest record in our history both in terms of revenue and number of tourist arrivals. Thailand received total tourism revenue of 1.44 trillion Baht (42 billion US dollars) from foreign visitors, up 23 percent over 2014. This was based on total visitor arrivals of 29.8 million, up 20 percent.
For this year, TAT will be focusing less on the number of visitor arrivals and more on attracting quality tourists. Therefore, TAT is targeting tourism revenue with a growth of 8% or around 2.41 trillion Baht (68 billion USD) this year. Of that total, 1.56 trillion Baht (44 billion US dollars) will come from international markets and 850 billion Baht (24 billion US dollars) from domestic travel.
Contact Information
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2250 0246
E-mail: [email protected]
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