Thailand foreign tourist arrivals down by 7.19% so far this year

Thailand's foreign tourist arrivals from January 1 to December 7 fell 7.19% from the same period a year earlier, the Tourism Ministry said on Tuesday.

There were 30.27 million foreign visitors over the period, the ministry said in a statement. Malaysia was the largest source market with 4.23 million visitors, followed by China with 4.18 million.

In November, the National Economic and Social Development Council maintained its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals this year at 33 million. Thailand saw a record of nearly 40 million visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.