BANGKOK - Some 1.2 million tourists from China visited Thailand in February, up 51 percent from the same period last year, a senior government official said on Wednesday.

Tourism and Sports Ministry undersecretary Pongpanu Svetarundra told a press conference that Chinese tourists accounted for the largest number of foreign visitors to Thailand last month, especially during the Chinese New Year.

Last month saw the number of foreign visitors to Thailand reached 3.5 million, an increase of 19.33 percent compared to the same period last year, Pongpanu said.

Most of them came from East Asia, followed by Europe, America, South Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Africa.

They generated some 195.26 billion baht (about $610 million) in tourism-related income last month, up 23.78 percent from the corresponding period last year.