BANGKOK - A total of 1.12 million Chinese visited Thailand in the first quarter of 2013, a sharp rise of 98 percent from the same period last year, authorities said on Monday.

Over 2.8 million Chinese visited the kingdom in 2012 and this year's arrivals Chinese tourists are estimated at 4 million.

The growth was mainly driven by the Chinese New Year in February. Led by the drastic growth, Thailand's total visitor arrivals surged to a record of more than 6 million in the first three months, up by 18.94 percent year on year.

The country's major tourism markets such as Russia, South Korea and India are showing strong double digit growth while Japan has bounced back strongly.

"In these days of economic challenges and geopolitical instability, it is very important that at least one sector of the economy is continuing to prove to be a major source of income and jobs," said Suraphon Svetasreni, governor of Thailand's Tourism Authority.