After China’s border reopened on Sunday, a government official reported that Thailand welcomed one million Chinese tourists between January and May 18.
Anucha Burapachaisri, a spokeswoman for the government, said in a statement that the government anticipates the 5 million Chinese tourists it has targeted for this year will arrive and spend a total of 446 billion baht ($13.18 billion).
In contrast to the 11 million tourists that traveled there prior to the 2019 epidemic, or around 28% of all visitors, about 274,000 Chinese tourists did so last year.
The government previously reported that from January to mid-May, there were 9.47 million overall international tourist arrivals, down from the total of 11.15 million in 2022.
The second-largest economy in Southeast Asia expanded more quickly than forecast in the first quarter, propelled by the ongoing recovery of the vital tourism industry, a major employer before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged it.
