Thailand tourist arrivals may drop by 6 m due to coronavirus

BANGKOK (Reuters): The number of foreign tourists in Thailand may fall by six million this year to 33.8 million, the lowest in four years, due to growing fears over the coronavirus outbreak, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said yesterday.

That was downgraded from last month’s forecast for 35 million visitors this year, down 12% from last year’s record 39.8 million.

Visitor numbers in February likely slumped 40%, with a deeper contraction expected in March and April, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.