Thailand's December tourist arrivals up 11.8% year-on-year

[BANGKOK] The number of tourists arriving in Thailand rose for the third straight month in December, increasing 11.76 per cent from the same period a year earlier, as the sector continues to recover from months of political unrest that led to an army coup in May.

Foreign tourists were 2.84 million in December, up from 2.44 million in November, Department of Tourism data showed.

In 2014, the number of foreign arrivals dropped 6.66 per cent from 2013 to 24.78 million.

Tourism, which accounts for about 10 per cent of the Thai economy, suffered its biggest drop in June 2014, the first full month after the coup. It started to recover in October, helped by free visas for Chinese - Thailand's biggest visitors.

REUTERS