Thailand recorded 17.5 million foreign tourists in the first six months of 2024, the tourism ministry said Tuesday, up 35% from the same period a year earlier.

Foreign arrivals generated revenue of 825 billion baht ($22.42 billion), data showed, with China, Malaysia and India comprising the largest source markets.

The tourism sector is a crucial driver and a rare bright spot in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which faces slowing exports and high household debt.

The economy grew 1.5% annually in the first quarter this year, down from 1.7% in the prior quarter.

In pre-pandemic 2019, Thailand registered a record 39.9 million arrivals, generating 1.91 trillion baht.