Thailand welcomed 20 million foreign tourists during the first seven months of this year, about half the total for the same period before the spread of Covid-19.

In an X post during the week, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that from Jan 1 to July 25 this year, more than 20 million international visitors came to the country, a 34% increase on last year's number.

He said measures including visa-free travel, more flights and improvements in tourist attractions led to the surge in numbers.

In addition, the number of tourists from Taiwan and India has reached a historic high, which was likely a result of the visa-free scheme. The scheme allows visitors from 93 countries to stay in the kingdom without needing to apply for a visa for up to 60 days. It began late last year and has now been extended until Nov 11.

Between Jan 1 and July 25 this year, Thailand welcomed 20,001,405 visitors. Most came from mainland China, followed by Malaysia, India, South Korea, Russia, Laos, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States.

When it comes to long-haul arrivals, Russia ranked first, followed by the US, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.