Thailand witnessed a 14 percent year-over-year rise in Russian tourist arrivals in the first two months of 2016, TTR weekly reported on March 23.

The fall in the value of the ruble had led to a drastic decrease in Russian tourists visiting Thailand in 2015 with certain sources calculating the decrease at 30 percent.

“This year, ASEAN tourists could grow to 7 million visits, which would be close to the volume of Chinese tourist arrivals, while the European market, especially Russia, is expected to improve significantly,” Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul told the website.