TCT forecasts 17% growth in arrivals
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The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) now projects the number of foreign arrivals in the Kingdom this year to grow by 17 per cent to 26.08 million, beating its previous forecast of 8-16 per cent, thanks to political stability.
Total spending by foreign tourists is projected to grow 22.9 per cent to Bt1.18 trillion. The evidence is clear that the previous appreciation of the baht and the world’s economic uncertainties have not undermined the rate of tourist arrivals. Thailand is still considered a value-for-money country for travel, said TCT president Piyaman Tejapaibul.
The council’s projection is more optimistic than that of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, which expects 24.5 million foreign arrivals this year.
Tourism is a key economic driver, accounting for 10 per cent of gross domestic product.
The TCT has urged the government to support the industry by tightening law enforcement. There have been repeated incidents of cheating by providers of transport and other facilities needed by tourists.
Piyaman said the TCT expected the number of foreign tourists coming to Thailand would grow by 19.1 per cent to 6.36 million in the third quarter and 12.32 per cent to 7.11 million in the final quarter, compared with the same periods last year.
Visitors from China
She noted that although China’s economy may be slowing, tourists from that country have kept coming here.
At present, 60 million Chinese travel outside annually and Thailand welcomes a good proportion of them, though there is room for growth.
The TCT expects 4.2 million Chinese to travel to Thailand this year, an increase of 52 per cent over 2012. An average of 380,000 Chinese travellers have come to Thailand in each of the past four months.
Meanwhile, she called for the government to promote local tourism so as not to rely too heavily on spending by foreigners. This year, revenue from local tourists is projected to grow by 6 per cent to Bt530 billion.
To boost that figure, the government should introduce tax incentives. Such an initiative, plus launching public relations and advertising campaigns, could drive local tourism.
