The country's economy in the first quarter is expected to expand at a pace close to the 4% in the fourth quarter of 2017, driven by exports and tourism, says a senior official at the Bank of Thailand.
Private consumption and public spending for the three months through March were also improved, said Pornpen Sodsrichai, director of the Economic Analysis Office.
Exports during January to March surged by 9.9% year-on-year and were 11.2% if gold exports are excluded.
Merchandise shipments expanded in most categories, including petrochemicals, automotive, electronics and hard-disk drives.
Foreign tourists visiting Thailand in the first quarter numbered 10.61 million, up 15.4% from a year earlier and 5.1% from the previous three months.
Chinese tourist numbers continued to increase following the launch of new airline routes from China's secondary cities to Thailand.
The National Economic and Social Development Board is due to release the first quarter's economic growth on May 21. Thailand's GDP grew 4% year-on-year during October to December, marking a 15th consecutive quarter of growth.
She said private consumption expanded in every category, except durable goods, in line with the expansion of the manufacturing sector.
However, the private consumption of middle- to upper-income earners remained solid, while farm income remained tepid albeit at a decelerated pace as larger agricultural supply slightly offset a further decline in farm prices.
Nominal farm income growth continued to shrink to 4.8%, compared with a 6.8% contraction in the final quarter of last year.
Private investment index marginally declined to 0.3% in the first quarter, from 2.2% in the preceding quarter.
Headline inflation increased, albeit at a slower pace, from fresh food prices, particularly, meat, vegetables, and fruits, which contracted due to improved supply of agricultural products, coupled with the decelerated growth of retail petroleum and liquefied petroleum gas prices.
In March, the economy continued to expand, buoyed largely by exports and tourism.
Merchandise exports and tourism sector grew solidly, consistent with the strong growth momentum in external demand.
Private consumption expanded in most categories, driven by both external and domestic demand contributing to the growth of manufacturing production. However, private investment declined, partly as a result of the high base effect.
Public spending contracted mainly from the decline in capital spending, while current spending expanded slightly.
"The economic momentum in the second quarter will continue from the first quarter as growth becomes broader-based," she said.