Foreign tourists in Bangkok, Thailand. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

BANGKOK — Thailand recorded a slight decline in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of the year, according to its Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

From January 1 to March 29, the country welcomed 9,174,586 foreign visitors, down 2.29 per cent year-on-year.

The five largest source markets during the period were China with 1,468,333 visitors, followed by Malaysia (947,123), Russia (714,424), India (614,016) and the Republic of Korea (409,331).

Natreeya Taweewong, permanent secretary of the ministry, said travel demand softened during the week of March 23–29 as short-haul markets concluded the Eid al-Fitr holiday period while long-haul travel entered the end of the peak season.

However, she noted that demand from long-haul markets has shown signs of improvement, partly due to travellers shifting to more direct flight routes from Europe to Thailand.

During the week, Thailand saw 630,102 foreign arrivals, down 45,305 visitors or 6.71 per cent compared with the previous week, averaging 90,014 arrivals per day. The five largest visitor markets for the week were Malaysia, China, India, Russia, and the UK.

Natreeya said visitor numbers in the coming week are expected to remain stable, supported by measures to attract Chinese tourists, safety image initiatives under the "Trusted Thailand" programme, government ease-of-travel measures such as the waiver of the TM.6 arrival/departure card, and efforts to encourage airlines to increase flights to Thailand. — VNA/VNS