Tourism Malaysia happy with increase in Thai tourists

BANGKOK: Thai tourist arrivals to Malaysia in the first quarter of this year recorded a 31.7% increase compared to the same period last year.
Tourism Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar director Sulaiman Suip said during the period, some 409,000 Thai tourists visited Malaysia compared to 311,000 in the first quarter of 2015.
"We hope this positive trend will continue throughout the year. We will continue to promote Malaysia as a family holiday destination to the Thais," he said recently.
He said the contributing factors included the strengthen of the Thai baht against the Malaysian Ringgit which made Malaysia a more attractive and affordable holiday destination in the region.
Thailand's economic stability, which registered a 3.3% growth in the first quarter of this year, was another factor, he added.
He said aggressive promotions by airlines and travel agencies offering tourism packages to Malaysia also contributed to the positive increase in the number of Thai tourists to Malaysia.
"Tourism products like Legoland theme park, Sunway Lagoon and Lost World of Tambun continue to be aggressively promoted among Thai tourists," he said, noting sales of tourism packages to Malaysia in April rose 15%. — Bernama