<p>BANGKOK, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Thailand’s foreign tourist arrivals dropped 7.59% in the January 1 to February 15 period from a year earlier to about 5.07 million people, the Tourism Ministry said on Tuesday.</p>
<ul>
<li>China was the biggest source market with 770,427 visitors, followed by Malaysia with 461,742, the ministry said in a statement.</li>
<li>Thailand’s state planning agency expects foreign visitors to rise to 35 million this year.</li>
<li>There were about 33 million foreign tourists last year, versus the pre-pandemic record of nearly 40 million in 2019.</li>
<li>Tourism is a key driver of the Thai economy, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.</li>
</ul>

Thailand's foreign tourist arrivals fall 7.6% so far this year, ministry says