Domestic tourists to spend THB 11 billion during the New Year holiday
Domestic tourists will spend about 11.2 billion baht during the four-day New Year holiday, according to a forecast from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). It forecasts that domestic tourists will make 3.14 million visits during the break.
Between 700,000 and 800,000 foreign tourists are also expected to visit Thailand during the Christmas to New Year period. They will generate about 26 billion baht in revenue, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Friday.
He said the average reservation rate at hotels nationwide has already reached 75% for the four-day weekend starting on December 30. The reservation rate is highest in the North where it has reached 78%, Yuthasak said.
The TAT will spend about 50 million baht on two New Year countdowns – in Bangkok and Songkhla’s Hat Yai district – under the theme “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2023”, he said.
The TAT will sponsor similar New Year celebrations in other locations, including Phuket, Chiang Mai, Samui Island, Buri Ram, and Krabi, Yuthasak said.
He said that the cancellation of some previously scheduled New Year festivities would not affect tourism during the New Year holiday because events are going ahead as planned in many locations.
With 700,000 to 800,000 foreign tourists expected in the final week of this year, the total number of foreign arrivals will reach 11.5 million for 2022, exceeding the original target of 10 million. Inbound tourism will generate about 1.5 trillion baht in revenue this year, Yuthasak said.
Malaysia is the top source of foreign tourists this year. India, Laos, Cambodia, and Singapore complete the top five, in that order. South Korea, Vietnam, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia follow.
The TAT has set a target of 20 million foreign tourists for next year, Yuthasak said, adding that the number is about 80% of the pre-pandemic level. They are expected to generate 2.38 trillion baht in revenue, he said.
