The Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports announced on Tuesday that the number of foreign visitors arriving in the country between January 1 and August 17 decreased by 7.04 percent compared to the same period last year.The ministry said in a statement carried by the Bangkok Post that the number of foreign tourists during this period reached 20.81 million visitors, explaining that China topped the markets exporting tourists to Thailand with a total of 2.93 million visitors.For its part, the National Council for Economic and Social Development announced a reduction in its forecast for the number of tourists arriving in Thailand this year to 33 million, down from previous estimates of 37 million, citing a decline in travel activity.It's worth noting that Thailand recorded an unprecedented record number of tourists in 2019, with the number of visitors reaching nearly 40 million before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, relying primarily on Asian and European markets.