December sees tourism revival

December saw 495,034 arrivals from China, an increase of 86.50 per cent; 410,795 from Malaysia (up 30.12 percent); 135,712 from Singapore (up 9.67 per cent), 93,184 from India (up 1.67 per cent) and 105,574 from the United Kingdom (up 5.02 per cent),

Many key markets posted decline in arrivals during the year, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, Australia, India, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

“The year 2014 was very challenging indeed. Thailand ended the year with total arrivals of 24.77 million,” said Thawatchai Arunyik, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). “The upturn in the last quarter is a clear indication that the tourism situation is improving.”

According to Thawatchai, Thai tourism began recovering in the fourth quarter, with upturns in October and November as well.

Asean countries as a whole brought 789,491 visitors, up 12.23 year on year.

Thawatchai said the agency was analysing the figures in detail to see how it could adjust responses to restore growth from other markets such as, Australia, Japan, South Korea and the Scandinavian countries.

TAT’s new “Discover Thainess” campaign is already gaining positive reviews around the world, he said.

“We are also planning a strong presence at upcoming events such as the Asean Tourism Forum 2015 and ITB Berlin,” he said.

The tourism industry has proved its mettle over the years. If the local and global political and economic situation remain stable, the authority is confident that it will meet the target of 28 million visitors, generating an estimated Bt1.35 trillion this year.