Jan tourist arrivals rise 2.5%, but revenue falls: Ministry

Tourists visit Wat Po on March 5, 2018. (Photo by Dave Kendall)

Tourist arrivals in Thailand rose 2.46% in January from a year earlier after a 2.48% increase in the previous month, the tourism ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

A total of 3.81 million tourists arrived in January, but they spent about 188.8 billion baht -- down 3.6% from a year earlier.

Visitors from China, Thailand's biggest source of tourists, dropped 3.71% in January from a year earlier to 1.03 million, with their spending down 10% following the coronavirus outbreak.

Tourism is a key driver of growth, with foreign tourist receipts making up about 11% of gross domestic product.



