BANGKOK, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is meeting the target of 35 million foreign visitors, with the number of international arrivals increasing 7.53 percent from January to November year on year, Thailand's tourism body said on Wednesday.
Thailand received 34,431,489 international visitors, generating an estimated 1.8 billion Baht (about 54.5 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, up by 9.79 percent during January-November 2018, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Commenting on the performance, Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: "We are overjoyed to have this result in the last quarter of 2018. The 35 million visitor target is now set to be met. It is a tribute to the cooperation and creativity of the entire Thai travel and tourism industry to ensure that it remains our primary sector for job creation, distribution of income nationwide, and contribution to cultural, heritage and environmental preservation."
All regions grew well except the Middle East and Oceania. Chinese tourists remain on top with 9.697 million visiting Thailand from January to November. The Chinese arrivals hit 10 million in early December.
More Chinese tourists' arrived in Thailand in November following the exemption of visa on arrival (VoA) fee, the Tourism and Sports Ministry reported.
The VoA fee has been exempted for Chinese tourists since November 13 as a measure to attract more visitors to the kingdom. The measure is due to expire on January 13. Enditem
