BANGKOK, July 18 (Xinhua) -- More than 19 million foreigners have visited Thailand in the first half of this year, said a senior government official on Wednesday.
According to Tourism and Sports Ministry Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra, the number of 19 million-plus foreign tourists to Thailand during this year's first six months accounted for a 12 percent increase from the same period last year.
Some 1.01 trillion baht (about 29.99 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism-related earnings has been reported during this year's first half, a 15 percent increase from the same period last year, the official said.
In June, more than 3 million foreign tourists visited the Southeast Asian country, raising an estimated 140 billion baht (about 4.19 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism-related incomes.
An estimated 3 trillion baht (about 89.97 billion U.S. dollars) in Thailand's tourism-related earnings is expected throughout this year, he said.
