Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat (C) speaks during a press conference in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, Jan. 28, 2019. A total of 38.27 million foreigners visited Thailand, generating some two trillion baht (about 60.6 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism-related revenues, said Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat on Monday. The number of foreign tourist arrivals increased 7.54 percent when compared with 2017 and the tourism-related revenues increased 9.63 percent, the minister told a press conference. Two major tourist sources for Thailand, China and India, performed well last year. Of that total, some 10,535,955 tourists from the Chinese mainland visited the kingdom last year, marking an increase of 7.44 percent, and they spent some 580.69 billion baht (about 17.59 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 11.52 percent. (Xinhua/Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports)

BANGKOK, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A total of 38.27 million foreigners visited Thailand, generating some two trillion baht (about 60.6 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism-related revenues, said Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat on Monday.

The number of foreign tourist arrivals increased 7.54 percent when compared with 2017 and the tourism-related revenues increased 9.63 percent, the minister told a press conference.

Two major tourist sources for Thailand, China and India, performed well last year.

Of that total, some 10,535,955 tourists from the Chinese mainland visited the kingdom last year, marking an increase of 7.44 percent, and they spent some 580.69 billion baht (about 17.59 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 11.52 percent.

The Chinese mainland tourist arrivals surged dramatically in 2015 and then saw a steady increase of 10 percent a year, the minister said, noting that it is time for the Thai tourism industry to consider specific measures to better welcome the Chinese tourists to the kingdom.

As for Indian tourists, some 1,596,772 tourists from the South Asian country visited Thailand last year, marking a year-on-year increase of 12.83 percent and bringing revenues of 71.5 billion baht (about 2.17 billion USD) to the kingdom, which is an increase of 30.64 percent.

Weerasak expected there would be some 11.69 million tourists from the Chinese mainland and some 2.01 million from India in 2019.