TAT confident of country receiving 10 million foreign tourists this year
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is confident that the number of foreign tourists this year could reach 10 million, boosting the country's tourism revenue to 1.2 trillion baht.
TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Thursday that 2.12 million tourists came to Thailand in the first half of the year and another 7.5 million were expected in the second half.
As of early this month, more than 4 million tourists have arrived in Thailand.
In total, the TAT expected at least 9.62 million visitors this year although it was confident the number could reach 10 million, according to the governor.
Coupled with an estimated 160 million visits by Thai tourists, the total revenue from tourism could reach 1.2 trillion baht, he said.
The Thai tourism industry could recover to the pre-Covid normalcy in 2024, according to Yuthasak.
The TAT is working with private companies in boosting Thailand’s tourism and economy. It has launched a campaign called "The Great Collaboration for Thailand’s Tourism Ecosystem" with Central Pattana, the country’s leading retail property development and investment company.
Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, Central Pattana’s executive vice president for marketing, said the company’s shopping malls in major tourist cities across the country have seen a return in “tourist traffic” of almost 100 per cent.
“We are confident that the total number of tourists this year will reach 10 million as has been projected by the TAT,” he said.
