Thailand is expecting more than 30 million foreign arrivals this year as China lifts its Covid-19 restrictions. In January, Thailand recorded 2.14 million foreign visitors. According to the tourism ministry, the top three source markets in January were Malaysia with 288,745 visitors, Russia with 202,759, and South Korea with 169,462 tourists. It said that China’s reopening is providing a further boost to the recovery, with the government forecasting 7-8 million Chinese visitors in 2023, compared with the 11 million in 2019. There were 91,841 Chinese visitors in January, compared with 3,110 in the same period a year earlier, and 54,146 in December. Tourism is a key source of jobs and a driver of Thailand’s economy and was typically worth about 12% of its annual gross domestic product before the pandemic struck and decimated its travel sector.
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