TAT forecasts 7% jump in foreign arrivals next year, with revenue up 13%
Play
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) projects the number of foreign tourists and the revenue earned from them to rise next year.
Foreign arrivals are forecast to hit 28 million, an increase of 7 per cent from the 2013 projection of 24.5 million. Tourism revenue next year is projected at Bt1.32 trillion, up 13 per cent from this year’s estimate of Bt1.14 trillion.
It projects revenue from domestic tourism in 2014 to increase 9 per cent to Bt700 billion. Thai tourists next year are expected to take 176 million trips, up from the 107 million forecast for this year.
These projections were made after the TAT’s five-day annual workshop held at Bang Saen, Chon Buri, last week. About 300 TAT employees discussed the national tourism outlook to map out a direction for next year. Their conclusions were presented yesterday to the private sector by TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni and his deputies.
Private firms welcomed the outcome of the workshop. However, they said the TAT should be cautious with its action plan because the industry is sensitive to factors that could affect foreign arrivals and tourist spending.
Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said he had no problem with the TAT’s projections, but the authority should acknowledge the extent to which the rising number of foreign tourists is due to international conflicts elsewhere in the world.
Japan and China are caught up in territorial disputes, while violence in Egypt is scaring away tourists. Thailand has benefited from such situations with a flow of Chinese, Japanese and Russian tourists into the Kingdom. The TAT should plan for the time when such situations are eased in order to keep tourism flourishing.
