Tourist arrivals in Thailand drop 18 percent in Nov.

BANGKOK, December 10 (TNA) - The number of tourist arrivals in Thailand in November of this year fell by 18 percent compared to November of last year. The number of arrivals during this whole year, however, is expected at 18.5 million. Seventeen million had arrived in the first 11 months of the year, and an additional 1.5 million is expected in December. Commenting on the figures, spokesperson of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Watchara Kanikar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Suwat Sittilor and Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Surapol Swetasreni, all attributed the decline to the flood crisis in central Thailand. Meanwhile, Director General of the Department of Tourism Supol Sripan said the projection of 19.5 million tourist arrivals was set in the middle of the year, when the number of arrivals in the first half of the year exceeded expectations. Therefore, he said that even though the number of arrivals this year would not reach the projected 19.5 million, 18.5 million is still a significant improvement from last year. (TNA)