BANGKOK, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Some 19.77 million foreign tourists visited Thailand in the first half of 2019, marking a slight 1.48 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to a document released on Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports's website earlier this week.
Thailand earned 1.02 trillion baht (33.21 billion U.S. dollars) from these foreign tourists, marking a slight increase of 0.94 percent.
Chinese tourists remained the largest group among foreign tourists.
Kasikorn Research Center said in a report released late June that the number of inbound tourists dropped due to various factors, among them the appreciation of Thai baht, and competition from other countries.
The think tank said inbound tourism in the second half of 2019 may slightly improve from the first half due to seasonal factors but still will be challenged by economic situation, baht appreciation, among others.
