Thai economy expands slowly in February, helped by tourism, central bank says

Thailand's economy expanded slowly in February with growth in the service sector and an increase in tourist arrivals offseting a fall in exports from the previous month, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) said on Friday.

Thailand recorded a current account surplus of USD 2 billion in February, after a deficit of USD 0.2 billion in the previous month, the BOT said.

There have been 8.73 million foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand this year up to March 24, up 44 per cent year-on-year, with visitors from China reaching 1.63 million, tourism ministry data showed.

The government is aiming for a record of 40 million foreign visitors this year following the 28 million in 2023.