The ten millionth tourist of this year arrived in Thailand yesterday (Saturday). The man, from Saudi Arabia, was personally welcomed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The prime minister said yesterday that he was told by Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn that it is very likely total arrivals will reach 11 million by the end of the year.

He urged all Thais to be good hosts to foreign tourists, as he promised that the government will use all possible means to impress visitors during their stay in Thailand, in the hope that they might return in the future.

Meanwhile, Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat said that next year will be quite a challenge for Thailand, because the government has set a target of attracting 20 million foreign tourists during the year.

On Samui Island in Surat Thani Province yesterday, the provincial governor and representatives of tourism businesses gave a special welcome to the 144 tourists who arrived from Singapore on the same Bangkok Airways flight as the Saudi man.

The arriving visitors were each given a coconut product as a souvenir. Most of them said that they plan to visit other islands such as Pha-ngan and Tao.

Surat Thani’s revenue earned from tourism between January and November this year is estimated at about 45 billion baht.

Meanwhile, at the Sadao district border crossing, about 200 buses and over 500 private cars crossed from Malaysia into Songkhla province yesterday. It is expected that more than four million tourists from Malaysia and Singapore will visit Thailand by road next year.

Source: Thai Public Broadcasting Service