Thailand will meet its tourist target of 10m this year, 18m next year: Anucha
Thailand can expect to welcome some 18 million foreign tourists in 2023, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Saturday, citing an estimate from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
He said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was delighted by the uptick in tourist numbers and has thanked relevant agencies and citizens for their hospitality and friendliness.
Anucha quoted TAT as saying that Thailand can expect to earn 1.73 trillion baht from tourism next year – 970 billion baht from foreign arrivals and 760 billion baht from domestic tourists.
More than 7.56 million tourists arrived in Thailand between January 1 and October 30, and another 3 million are expected in the last two months of the year. Hence, it is likely that TAT’s target of 10 million will be met.
Meanwhile, some 15,778 flights are scheduled to land in Thailand in November and December, with the largest number of arrivals expected from India and Malaysia, at 85% and 68% respectively.
As of October 30, 4.1 million or 54% of all arrivals came from Asean nations, South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, while visitors from East Asia exceeded 800,000, the spokesman said citing TAT figures.
“The prime minister is pleased that tourists still consider Thailand as their favourite destination, even though many other countries have also opened their doors to foreign visitors,” Anucha said.
He added that Prayut has instructed relevant agencies to make the immigration process quick and convenient for both Thais and foreigners.
