Thailand welcomes record number of tourists in 2018

Thailand saw a record 38.27 million tourists in 2018, up 7.5 per  cent from the previous year, the Tourism Ministry said on Monday.

The ministry expects the number of tourists visiting the country this year to increase by 7.5, reports Reuters.

The country’s December tourist arrivals were 3.85 million, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

For 2019, the ministry expects 41.1 million tourists to spend 2.21 trillion baht (53.15 billion pounds).

The number of visitors from China - Thailand’s biggest source of tourists - is projected to rise 11 per cent to 11.69 million, it said.

Foreign tourist receipts account for about 12 per cent of Thailand’s gross domestic product.