The Tourism Authority of Thailand says Thailand can expect up to 30 million visitors this year, with nearly 13 million having arrived in the first 6 months. Most of those have come from Malaysia, China, Russia, South Korea and India, according to the data.
In Phuket the June foreign arrivals comprised mostly of Chinese, followed by Russians, Australians, Indians and Singaporeans. The arrival numbers in June were 35% fewer than the March total and the number of Russian arrivals is down over 70% compared with the arrivals just three months before.
According to a Nation Thailand report, the TAT says that if things continue at this rate, the tourism sector will achieve 80% of the pre-pandemic figures reported in 2018 (by their own maths and published statistics, their prediction is already incorrect).
They are also predicting maximum tourism revenue of 2.38 trillion baht. This figure is based on 1.5 trillion baht being generated by 25 – 30 million foreign arrivals.
Thai tourists are also expected to undertake 117 to 135 trips within the kingdom, according to TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn. He believes that from July, the kingdom will welcome around 2 million arrivals a month, increasing to 3 million a month during the fourth quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, TAT deputy governor for the domestic market, says the ongoing political uncertainty is unlikely to affect tourism.
“Even if there are political rallies, TAT will still continue its marketing campaigns to strengthen the confidence of visitors and boost the country’s image. We need to show visitors that Thais can coexist with each other despite different political opinions, and also that Thailand is a safe place to travel.”
However, the president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Chamnan Srisawat, has called for the new government to be formed as soon as possible, to ensure new tourism policies can be smoothly implemented.
“The new government should continue giving ‘booster shots’ to small tour operators, who have been relying on campaigns like ‘We Travel Together’ since the pandemic. They need to know that the government has other subsidies and stimulus programs planned for the tourism industry, so they can plan their business accordingly.”
SOURCE: Nation Thailand