However, Aida Oujeh, president of the Thailand-Asean Halal Trade and Tourism Association (Tahta), said the figure is a drop from the number of tourists that visited Thailand last year, likely due to the impending fasting month, Harian Metro reported.

Chinese New Year falls on Tuesday, while Ramadan is expected to begin on Thursday.

Aida said the latest estimate was based on the number of hotel bookings by Malaysian tourists in Hat Yai and southern Thailand. Malaysians took up 50% of the hotel rooms.

She also said all hotels were fully booked for the Songkran festival in April, with most bookings made by Malaysian tourists.

“Almost all premises affected by last year’s floods have resumed operations in full, including hotels. Only a few hotels are still closed due to renovations.”

Floods devastated southern Thailand in November, particularly in the Hat Yai district, claiming more than 100 lives.