BANGKOK, Jan 24 Reuters Thailand received 11.15 million foreign visitors in 2022, a surge from just about 428,000 the previous year when broad pandemicrelated travel curbs were in place, tourism ministry data showed on Tuesday.

The figures, which beat the government39;s target, reflect a solid turnaround as Thailand tries to revive its vital tourism industry, which bore the brunt of its strict entry and quarantine policies during the pandemic.

In December, there were 2.24 million foreign tourists, compared with 230,497 in the same month a year earlier.

Prepandemic 2019 saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists for the full year.

Malaysia, India and Singapore were Thailand39;s top three source markets last year, the ministry said.

In 2023, the government is expecting 25 million international visitors, including at least five million from China, Thailand39;s biggest source market before the pandemic.

The government on Tuesday approved a budget of 3.95 billion baht 120.72 million to boost domestic travel and international tourism in secondary cities.

China39;s reopening is expected to further boost Thailand39;s vital tourism sector, which before the pandemic accounted for about 12 of gross domestic product in Southeast Asia39;s secondlargest economy.

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Reporting by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor

Source Reuters