Thai visitor numbers up in '06

Posted on: 09 October 2007

An increasing number of British travellers booked flights to Thailand and enjoyed holidays in the country in 2006, it has been revealed.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that 745,525 people visited the destination in 2006, 9.5 per cent more than the previous year.

Arrivals from Ireland totalled 56,994, a 14 per cent increase on 2005, meaning that a total of 802,519 visitors from the UK and Ireland travelled to Thailand last year.

Tanes Petsuwan, director of TAT London, said: "We are delighted with Thailand's progress and TAT far exceeded its target of 700,000 UK visitors thanks to a large influx towards the end of the year."

Some 86,210 UK tourists travelled to Thailand in December 2006, an increase of nearly ten per cent on the same month in 2005.

A spokesperson for Thai Airways commented on the statistics, saying that the carrier's own figures reflected the growth in travel from the UK, with many passengers making use of its first class services.

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