TAT trims 2015 arrival target amid shaky world economy
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Although international and local tourists are set to raise their headcount in the coming year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has tempered its revenue target from Bt2.2 trillion to Bt2.15 trillion because of the global economic instability.
“As poor results for this year will be seen and the global economic slowdown is expected to continue, we needed to revise our targets,” Thawatchai Arunyik, governor of the TAT, said yesterday.
International arrivals are forecast to increase by 13 per cent to 28 million and revenue from foreign visitors by 16 per cent to Bt1.35 trillion next year.
The meltdowns in Russia and Japan will hit departures, but some markets like Asean, Europe, the Americas and the Middle East show potential.
Locals’ trips are expected to rise 9 per cent to 151 million trips in 2015, generating a 14-per-cent rise in revenue to Bt800 billion. Improved air access and tax deductions will drive the market.
For this year, the TAT made another adjustment, as it is now aiming at 24.6 million tourists, down from between 25 million and 25.5 million projected early this year, which is a 7-per-cent drop from last year.
Drop in revenue
Revenue from foreign tourists is also expected to decline by 5 per cent to Bt1.15 trillion.
For the domestic market, travellers and revenue will continue growing at 7 per cent from last year. Local travel is projected at 138 million trips and local revenue at Bt700 million.
The TAT plans to run a national tourism campaign with the theme “Discover Thainess”. Many activities and events are in the pipeline, including a grand launch next month presided over by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
To boost domestic tourism, the TAT is working with public and private bodies to encourage employees to take more holidays. By law, workers can to take up to 15 days of vacation leave per year, but many organisations fail to respect this right.
During the New Year festive season from December 31 to January 4, 430,000-450,000 foreigners are expected to drop into Thailand and leave behind Bt2.5 billion in revenue. It is hoped that local residents will spend Bt6.8 billion on making 22 million trips.
