Malaysia has always been a top supplier of tourists to Thailand, based mainly on strong overland travel, but in recent years airline travel has increased due to low-cost carriers serving routes between the two countries.
During August, Thailand welcomed 240,453 Malaysians, an increase of 4.2 per cent compared with the same month in 2011. This was viewed as an indication that Malaysians are again confident about travel to South Thailand.
Arrivals from Malaysia registered year-on-year declines since the blast: down 22.18 per cent in April, 16.42 per cent in May, 11.43 per cent in June and 24.56 per cent in July.
Ramadan this year started July 20 and ended August 18, which contributed to a greater decline in July and a smaller than usual increase in August.
Security in Haad Yai has since been beefed up. Vehicles in and out of the municipality are being checked. Hotels and departments stores have also invested in more CCTV cameras and guards, and have introduced security checkpoints.
In the latest move, Diana Department Store erected rows of cement pipes in front of the department store to reduce the impact of a car bomb. Critics said it would undermine tourist confidence, but Diana executives countered that the measure made shopping safer for tourists.
Despite soft travel trends in the Malaysian marker, arrivals from China continued to be robust. In August, which was still the summer holiday in China, Thailand welcomed 278,677 Chinese tourists, up 43.74 per cent. Over eight months, China continues to be the top source market with 1,685,896 trips, a growth of 35.38 per cent.
Malaysia, continued in second place supplying 1,602,141 trips, posting a 5.81 per cent drop over January to August 2011.
Overall, in August, Thailand tallied 1,925,806 international tourists, improving 11.54 per cent, the most positive percentage growth recorded this year so far.
From January to August, the accumulated numbers are 14,344,33, an 8.66 per cent growth, marginally up from 8.34 per cent for January-July.
At the other end of the spectrum, travellers from Europe grew just 0.5 per cent, with many countries showing declines, including the United Kingdom (-0.32 per cent) and France (-4.76 per cent). The only bright star in Europe was the Russian market, with travellers to Thailand up by 19.96 per cent.
The data were collected by the Immigration Bureau from all checkpoints – air, land and sea – and is preliminary data subject to review.