Thailand's Sept foreign tourist arrivals up 10% y/y - ministry

BANGKOK, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Tourist arrivals in Thailand rose 10.11% in September from a year earlier, after an increase of 7.35% in August, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

A total of 2.9 million tourists in September spent 139.6 billion baht ($4.62 billion), up 8.73% from a year earlier.

Visitors from China, Thailand's biggest source of tourists, totalled 852,130 in September, up 31.56% from a year earlier. It rose 18.89% in August.

In the January-September period, overall tourist arrivals totalled 29.47 million, up 3.5% from a year earlier.

Foreign tourist receipts make up about 12% of Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP). ($1 = 30.20 baht)

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring; editing by Uttaresh.V)