More Than 5 Million Foreign Tourists Arrived in Thailand in 9 Months

(CTN News) – The Thai government announced yesterday that over five million foreign tourists visited the ‘land of smiles’ between January 1 and September 8.

According to spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the total number of foreign visitors was 5,018,172.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), 751,397 tourists arrived from Malaysia.

India followed with 480,825 arrivals. Laos came in third with 310,464 arrivals. With 249,084 arrivals, Cambodia sent the fourth most tourists to Thailand.

In the next three months, TAT estimates the number of tourists will reach 10 million.

Tourist demographics are slightly different from what the government reported last month as the top countries sending tourists to Thailand.

Malaysia, India, Laos, Singapore, and the United Kingdom were the top five countries last month.

Malaysian tourists are flocking to Thailand for short-haul holidays.

As of July, the Shuttle Train service between Hat Yai in Thailand and Padang Besar in Malaysia resumed operations, making travel between the two countries much more convenient. A one-hour journey costs only 50 baht (7 Malaysian ringgits).

Due to the removal of Thailand Passes and insurance requirements, Malaysian travel to Thailand has never been easier.

In recent months, Malaysians have overtaken Indians as Thailand’s biggest group of Tourism.

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