Thai tourism sector booming again after Test & Go, Thailand Pass lifted
Thailand has seen as many as 2.21 million foreign tourists in the first half of this year thanks to the scrapping of the Test and Go and Thailand Pass schemes.
Citing the Tourism and Sports Ministry’s data from January 1 to July 6 this year, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Sunday that most visitors came from India (249,466), Malaysia (277,146), Singapore (137,739), the United Kingdom (128,369) and the US (112,791).
“The number of arrivals rose sharply from 542,410 in May to 709,967 in June after Test & Go was scrapped from May 1,” he said.
Meanwhile, the first six days of this month saw 191,712 visitors after Thailand Pass was scrapped on July 1.
Thanakorn added that 67.8 million people had taken domestic trips between January 1 and July 6, while the top five destinations were Bangkok, Chonburi, Kanchanaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi.
He added that domestic tourists generated 305 billion baht over the period and foreign tourists brought 125 billion baht to the country.
“Thailand generated close to 430 billion baht in tourism revenue in the first half, which is a good sign for the economy and tourism industry,” he said.
He said the tourism sector should generate more revenue during the high season between October and December when at least 1 million tourists are expected to land in the country every month.
He added that though the PM is satisfied with the signs of recovery, “he has urged people to strictly follow public health measures to stay safe from Covid-19”.