Bangkok - (AFP) - Thailand , Saturday, crossed the threshold of ten million tourists since the beginning of the year, in an indication of the gradual recovery of the tourism sector, even if it has not yet recorded pre-COVID-19 pandemic figures.

At Bangkok Airport, traditional dancers and drummers greeted passengers on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, upon the registration of more than ten million tourists since the beginning of 2022.

Representatives of the Tourism Authority handed flowers, vouchers and tickets to enter a water park to a Saudi couple, Haitham Al-Madlej and Najoud Al-Khowiter.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha saluted the solidity of entrepreneurs in the country's tourism and hospitality sector.

"We would like to build confidence that Thailand remains one of the (major) tourist destinations for people from all over the world," he said in a speech.

Upon their arrival in Thailand, tourists expressed their happiness at discovering the Thai kingdom.

With this, by the end of the year, Thailand will have received more than ten million visitors, which is a big jump compared to the 427,000 tourists it received in 2021 at the height of the measures to combat the spread of Covid-19.

More than 40 million people visited the Kingdom in 2019. The decline in tourism causes a loss to the faltering Thai economy, which is recording a growth rate lower than that of neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.

"There is still a lot of room for improvement, especially with tourists from the Asia Pacific region," Marisa Sukosol, director of the Thai Hotel Association, told AFP.

Sokosol especially hopes for signs of opening up from China, whose strict anti-Covid-19 policy bans Thailand from around 10 million visitors a year. The Chinese make up the largest percentage of tourists in Thailand.

The Thai authorities expect to receive 23 million visitors in the year 2023, which could bring the country more than 32 billion euros, according to figures from the National Council for Economic and Social Development.