Thailand tourism aims for 2.38 trillion baht target with late-year surge

Aiming to achieve its revenue target of 2.38 trillion baht, Thailand’s tourism sector is pushing ahead in the last two months of the year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced that the total takings for the first ten months stood at 1.67 trillion.

TAT’s governor, Thapanee Kiatphaibool, outlined plans to stimulate the sector further, with a focus on intensifying promotional campaigns. The agency plans to support approximately 3,000 local and international activities across the country during the festive season. The goal is to build momentum for the following year, which has a revenue target of 3 trillion baht.

Thapanee expressed optimism for next year, which she believes holds more promise compared to the current year. The latter has been affected by geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East and a shooting incident in a Bangkok mall.

One primary focus is on improving ease of travel. The recent extension of the visa exemption for Taiwanese and Indian travellers, which comes into effect from November 10 until May next year, is expected to have a significant impact. This follows similar efforts for travellers from China and Kazakhstan.

In the first ten months of this year, revenue from foreign arrivals reached 963 billion baht, thanks to 21.8 million visitors. Domestic revenue, on the other hand, was 710 billion from 194 million trips.

Foreign arrivals

Looking at foreign arrivals, 15.8 million came from short-haul markets. Malaysia led the way with 3.3 million, followed by China with 2.7 million, South Korea with 1.3 million, India with 1.28 million, and Laos with 903,268 visitors. Meanwhile, the long-haul market saw 6 million travellers, with Russia, the US, the UK, Germany, and France being the top contributors.

According to Thapanee, key events, including the Loy Krathong festival and the Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok 2023, are expected to boost expenditure from November to early next year.

While the target of 3 trillion baht set for next year is challenging, Thapanee believes it’s within reach, especially if major markets like Malaysia continue to perform well. Factors such as increased seat capacity in key markets should also contribute to this goal. For example, the number of flights from Kazakhstan has nearly tripled recently due to growing demand and visa exemptions, reported Bangkok Post.

The visa-free scheme is also expected to attract an additional 110,000 tourists during the last two months of the year, coinciding with India’s Diwali holiday. This is expected to push Indian arrivals to 1.67 million this year. The TAT also projects a surge in arrivals from India next year, surpassing the 1.96 million recorded in 2019.

The Taiwanese market is also showing signs of recovery, with seat capacity now at 94% of the 2019 level. Thapanee anticipates that the visa-free policy will increase arrivals from Taiwan by 20% this year, reaching nearly the same level as in 2019.

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