Thailand welcomed 3.09 million visitors last month for Songkran, mainly guests from Asia, says the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
Of the total, 2.14 million came from East Asia, with the rest from Europe, South Asia, the Americas, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa, said permanent secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra.
Compared with the same month last year, international arrivals increased 9.4%. East Asia visitor numbers grew 14.5% year-on-year and those from South Asia were up 12.6%.
The top 10 arrival markets for April were China, Malaysia, Laos, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, the US and the UK.
Mr Pongpanu said for April, tourists spent 157 billion baht, up 12.5% from the same month last year. The top spenders were from China, Russia, Malaysia, the UK, the US, Australia, South Korea, Japan, India and Germany.
The ministry said foreign arrivals during the first four months totalled 13.7 million, up 13.9% year-on-year. Tourism income was 730 billion baht, up 17.5%.
Mr Pongpanu said the main growth factor was Songkran, which was held nationwide from April 12-16.
The ministry reported 506,136 foreign tourists visited Thailand during the festival, a 6.2% increase from same period last year, generating 24.65 billion baht, up 16.2%.
During the festival, locals made a total of 3.1 million trips, a 12.4% increase year-on-year, contributing income of 10.4 billion baht or a 20.5% rise.
Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said he is confident in meeting its target of 38 million visitors this year, up from 35 million last year.
TAT, however, is trying to focus more on high-spending tourists rather than numbers.
The authority recently invited more than 120 golfers from five cities in China to participate in a golf tournament as part of a strategy to boost Thailand's profile amongst one of China's most rapidly rising customer segments.
The golfers from Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu and Guangzhou enjoyed several rounds on May 9 at the Alpine Golf Club in Pathum Thani province, and later participated in a golf clinic, exchanging experiences with Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand's top golf ambassador.
Of the 9.8 million Chinese arrivals in 2017, TAT estimates some 90,000 were golfers.