Tourist arrivals up 9% to 32.6m in 2016

Tourist arrivals up 9% to 32.6m in 2016

People wait at Don Mueang airport on Dec 29, 2016 ahead of the New Year's holiday. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
People wait at Don Mueang airport on Dec 29, 2016 ahead of the New Year's holiday. (Photo by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

Tourist arrivals to Thailand rose 8.9% to 32.6 million in 2016, generating 1.6 trillion baht in revenue, up 12.6%, according to Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.

Swedish tourists stayed the longest, at 19.4 days on average, while Israelis were the biggest spenders, at 84,827 baht per trip.

Overall, tourists stayed longer, at 9.6 days average, and spent 3.2% more to 5,268.42 baht a day.

From Dec 31 to Jan 3, foreign and local tourists generated revenue of 30.2 billion baht, up 8.7% from the same period in the previous year.

Of the total receipts, 19.6 billion baht came from foreign tourists, up 5.4% year-on-year, while Thais made up 10.6 billion baht, up 15.4%.

A factor contributing to the growth was chartered flights and additional flights during the holidays, totalling 16,389 seats. Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai were the most popular destinations.

Cold weather elsewhere also made the country popular among Europeans.

Thailand was the third most popular destination among Russians after Turkey and Vietnam. In December alone, the number of Russian tourists shot up 24%.

Government tax breaks also stimulated more spending on hotel reservations, tour guide services and dining. As well, cool weather in the North and Northeast attracted a large number of local tourists.

Buddhist activities such as overnight praying and New Year's merit-making also contributed to the growth.


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