Thai economy slows in March, but seen improving in future: central bank

THAILAND’S economy slowed down in March compared with the previous month, as exports declined but the service sector continued to improve, driven by higher foreign tourist numbers, the central bank said on Friday (Apr 28).

Economic activity is expected to have improved in April and exports should gradually get better along with a recovery in the economies of trading partners, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) said in a statement.

In the first quarter, the economy continued to improve from the previous period, mainly due to the tourism sector which bolstered services and private consumption, the BOT said.

Last month, the BOT trimmed its projections for economic growth to 3.6 per cent this year and 3.8 per cent next year, down from earlier forecasts of 3.7 per cent and 3.9 per cent, respectively.

But it raised its forecasts for foreign tourist arrivals to 28 million this year and 35 million next year, up from 25.5 million and 34 million, respectively. That compared with a record of nearly 40 million visitors in pre-pandemic 2019.

Thailand recorded a current account surplus of US$4.8 billion in March, after a surplus of US$1.3 billion in the previous month.

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Exports, a key driver of growth, dropped 5.8 per cent year-on-year in March. REUTERS