Thailand records 1.75% y/y drop in foreign visitors so far in 2025
There were about 13.4 million foreign visitors in the period, it said in a statement. China was the largest source market, with 1.83 million visitors.
On Monday, the National Economic and Social Development Council cut its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals this year to 37 million from 38 million. There was a record of nearly 40 million visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Thailand requires banks to cap most online transfers at $1,500 daily to thwart scammers
Banks in Thailand are now required to set a daily limit of 50,000 baht ($1,537) on many online transfers to lessen financial fraud, particularly those involving customers judged vulnerable such as children and older people. The rule announced Tuesday by the Bank of Thailand is meant to help combat the huge criminal industry of online scams, which makes billions of dollar annually and is especially active in Southeast Asia. In many countries there is increasing pressure on banks to play a more active role in safeguarding the assets of customers targeted by scammers. The new measure aims to curb financial fraud by preventing criminals from receiving and transferring a large amount of money at one time, and enabling timely freezing of illicit funds in order to increase the chances that victims will be able to recover at least some of their money, according to Daranee Saeju, the bank's assistant governor for Payment Systems Policy and Financial Consumer Protection. The daily transfer limit will be applied to transfers in three different tiers: under 50,000 baht ($1,537) , under 200,000 baht ($6,147) and above 200,000 baht ($6,147), depending on each customer's risk profile and the banks' assessment under know-your-customer, or KYC, rules. Customers with established records of responsibility can continue transferring at their usual levels. This measure will be implemented for new mobile banking and internet banking customers by the end of this month and for existing customers by the end of this year. Thailand has around 12 million mobile banking users, according to a report Wednesday in the Bangkok Post newspaper. It said previous central bank safeguards capped mobile banking transfers at 50,000 baht ($1,537) per transaction — with facial recognition required — and 200,000 baht ($6,147) per day in total. In June alone this year, 24,500 scam cases related to money transfers were reported to the authorities, causing total losses of 2.8 billion baht ($86.1 million) — an average of 114,000 baht ($3,504) per case. The largest single fraudulent transfer amounted to 4.9 million baht ($150,591), the Post reported, citing the central bank. On average, scammers needed only three minutes to siphon off half of the stolen funds, while victims typically took 19–25 hours to report the crime, the newspaper reported For the first six months of this year, children under 15 were involved in 78,468 financial scam cases, while victims over 65 years of age accounted for 416,453 cases, it said..
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
China calls for enhancing exchanges, security with Pakistan, Afghanistan
BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to strengthen trilateral exchanges at all levels, as Beijing pushes to strengthen security with its neighbours, according to a statement from the ministry. Wang, who attended a three-way meeting with his counterparts in Kabul on Wednesday, said the countries should continue to build strategic mutual trust and deepen security cooperation. China is ready to understand and support issues involving each country's core interests and firmly oppose external interference in the region as well as any organisation or individual undermining each other's national sovereignty, the minister said, according to a readout on Thursday. "It is necessary to improve the security dialogue mechanism, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, strengthen the fight against transnational terrorist activities, and eradicate the breeding ground for terrorism," Wang said. The readout did not mention any terrorist groups, but a report by Chinese state media Xinhua on Wang's meeting with Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi mentioned the East Turkestan Islamic Movement. The report cited Wang as saying China hopes Afghanistan will intensify efforts to combat such terrorist forces. China shares a 596 km (370 miles) border with Pakistan that runs through the Karakoram Mountains, extending from the tripoint with Afghanistan to the disputed area with India near the Siachen Glacier. With Afghanistan, China shares a 92 km (57 miles) border that meets Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan territory. The countries border China's northwest Xinjiang region, which had in the past been beset by conflict which Beijing blamed on Islamist militants and ethnic Uyghur separatists who say they seek to establish an independent East Turkestan. Wang also told his counterparts that the three countries should expand development cooperation, trade and investment exchanges, and network connectivity.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
China's Bio-Thera Solutions licenses its arthritis drug to Germany's STADA
HONG KONG, Aug 21 (Reuters) - China's Bio-Thera Solutions ( opens new tab said on Thursday it has granted Germany's STADA Arzneimittel commercialisation rights for its arthritis drug BAT1806, opens new tab in the EU, UK, Switzerland, certain Middle East and North Africa regions, and certain members of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Upfront payment and milestone payments will total up to 136 million euros ($158.34 million), including an 8.5 million euro down payment, milestone payments up to 127.5 million euros, and a double-digit percentage of net sales as revenue sharing, the Shanghai-listed firm said in a stock exchange filing, opens new tab. ($1 = 0.8589 euros)
