According to Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" on March 7, in the first two months of this year, the number of tourists to Thailand increased by 50% year-on-year, of which the number of Chinese tourists was the largest.
In the first two months of this year, 6.38 million foreign tourists entered Thailand, an increase of 50% over the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on March 6.
According to statistics, the number of foreign tourists to Thailand reached 1.18 million, ranking first, followed by Malaysian, Russian, South Korean and Indian tourists.
According to the report, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand expects that the number of foreign tourists entering the country will continue to increase this week (March 4-10), mainly thanks to the signing of a permanent visa exemption agreement between Thailand and China, as well as the increase in the number of flights by Thai Airways.
Tourism is reportedly an important pillar of Thailand's economy, accounting for nearly half of GDP. Before the pandemic, China was Thailand's largest number of tourists, but after the epidemic ended, Thailand's tourism industry recovered slowly, and the number of Chinese tourists rebounded as expected, from 11 million before the epidemic in 2019 to 3.5 million last year.
Thailand and China signed an agreement on January 28 this year to allow people of the two countries visa-free entry from March 1.
Chinese tourists take photos in the ancient city of Siam in Samut Prakan, Thailand, on March 1. (Xinhua News Agency).