PHUKET: Latest figures released by the Tourism Authority of Thailand show that Chinese have now overtaken Malaysians as the nationality with the greatest number of visitors to Thailand.
Both deliver more than one million visitors, but Chinese tourists have surged up by 28.87 percent in the first six months of 2012 while Malaysians have dropped off by 8.53 percent.
Total international arrivals to Thailand are up 7.60 percent to 10,496,789, with Phuket doing even better proportionately - as Phuketwan has already reported.
Phuket tourism onlookers who predict that Thailand will increasingly come to depend on Asean +6 for its economic growth and for tourism will find justification in the latest figures.
Among the top 10 nations delivering tourists to Thailand, only Britain and the US figure from outside the Asean +6 region.
As well as the remarkable growth in Chinese visitors to a total of 1,124,234, there's also Russia surging by 12.21 percent to 634,312 visitors, followed by Japan, Korea, India, Laos, Britain, Australia and the US.
The number of Australians rose by 9.63 percent to 427,096 with Americans increasing by 8.63 percent to 379,430.
Phuket's success continues to depend on the breadth of its visitor base. Resort managements report healthy figures for July despite economic gloom in Europe.
Outside the Top 10, Germany with 357,472 (up 9.71 percent), France with 304,717 (up 17.11 percent), Norway (up 17.59 percent), Sweden (16.45 percent) and Denmark (up 14.84 percent) all added to Thai tourism's current positive outlook.
Both deliver more than one million visitors, but Chinese tourists have surged up by 28.87 percent in the first six months of 2012 while Malaysians have dropped off by 8.53 percent.
Total international arrivals to Thailand are up 7.60 percent to 10,496,789, with Phuket doing even better proportionately - as Phuketwan has already reported.
Phuket tourism onlookers who predict that Thailand will increasingly come to depend on Asean +6 for its economic growth and for tourism will find justification in the latest figures.
Among the top 10 nations delivering tourists to Thailand, only Britain and the US figure from outside the Asean +6 region.
As well as the remarkable growth in Chinese visitors to a total of 1,124,234, there's also Russia surging by 12.21 percent to 634,312 visitors, followed by Japan, Korea, India, Laos, Britain, Australia and the US.
The number of Australians rose by 9.63 percent to 427,096 with Americans increasing by 8.63 percent to 379,430.
Phuket's success continues to depend on the breadth of its visitor base. Resort managements report healthy figures for July despite economic gloom in Europe.
Outside the Top 10, Germany with 357,472 (up 9.71 percent), France with 304,717 (up 17.11 percent), Norway (up 17.59 percent), Sweden (16.45 percent) and Denmark (up 14.84 percent) all added to Thai tourism's current positive outlook.
Chinese tourists are currently practically blocked from visiting Philippines because of the months long naval dispute around the Scarborough Shoals.
They have switched to other Asian destinations and this may have a temporary effect on the Chinese arrival numbers in Thailand.
Posted by Andrew on July 18, 2012 18:51