BANGKOK, Oct 12 (NNN-TNA) – Thailand pinned hope on the tourism sector to boost economic recovery, amid growing concern about a slowing global economy, and its impact on the country’s exports.
According to the latest report by Kasikorn Research Centre, a Thai think tank, Thailand’s economic recovery will be driven primarily by tourism, for the remainder of this year and through 2023.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, told a press briefing yesterday that, a total of 10 million international arrivals are expected by the end of this year, which will generate a revenue of 1.5 trillion baht (about 39.3 billion U.S. dollars).
Similar prediction has been made, which expects 13-20 million foreign visitors to come to Thailand in 2023. However, the number of international arrivals is still far below the pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million tourists.
To better boost the tourism industry, the TAT launched the “Always Warm” campaign, in this upcoming winter, as tourists are looking for a destination to escape the cold weather, amid rising energy costs, according to Yuthasak.
“The Always Warm campaign will not only touch on Thailand’s warm weather, but also the warm hospitality,” he said, adding, it will launch promotions with airlines to attract tourists.
The TAT is optimistic about generating an estimated 2.4 trillion baht (about 63 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue next year, which is 80 percent of the amount in 2019.
The tourism-reliant kingdom suffered a 6.2 percent GDP contraction in 2020, the largest yearly dip in over two decades, and expanded by 1.6 percent last year.– NNN-TNA
