Over 19mln foreign tourists visit Thailand in 2011

BANGKOK, January 11 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported on Wednesday that a total of 19.09 million foreign tourists visited Thailand in 2011, an increase of 19.84 per cent from 2010. Tourism Department Director-General Supol Sripan told reporters of the figures, acknowledging that Thailand earned about 734.6 billion baht tourism-related revenues in 2011, a 23.92 per cent year-on-year surge. Supol attributed the increase in both the number of foreign tourist arrivals and earnings last year, particularly those from East Asia and Europe, to the recovering global economy and the popularity of tourist sites in Thailand. According to the senior official, international tourist arrivals in Thailand mostly soared in May 2011 by 70.26 per cent year-on-year, before a drop by 17.92 per cent year-on-year in November due to impacts from the country's flooding crisis and a renewed growing momentum in December. The senior Thai official projected that the Thai tourism industry should continue growing this year, based on the normal national situation, with the number of international tourist arrivals in the Kingdom reaching 20.5–20.8 million. (TNA)