BANGKOK, March 24 (Reuters) - Thailand expects there to be about 6 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of the year as the vital tourism sector gathered momentum, a government official said on Friday.
The Southeast Asian country is forecasting between 25 million to 30 million foreign tourists this year, with spending of 1.5 trillion baht ($44 billion), government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said in a statement. ($1 = 34.09 baht) (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Ed Davies)