Nearly 33 million travellers visited Thailand in 2016 with revenue beating expectations and likely to exceed previous forecasts this year by growing over 10 per cent, reports local media. The tourism industry earned THB 2.52 trillion last year.
Thailand welcomed a record 32.59 million foreign visitors last year as the country continues to be a popular travel destination. This came despite a number of high profile incidents in the country that had hotels and tour guides worried tourists would elect not to visit.
According to The Tourism Authority of Thailand, the country’s tourism industry is estimated to bring in nearly THB 740 billion in the first quarter of this year which would be an 8 per cent increase from the first quarter of last year. The strong numbers could lead to tourism revenue for this year surpassing earlier forecasts of THB 2.77 trillion.
Research from the U.N. shows Thailand is the 11th most-visited country in the world and has the 6th largest tourism industry by revenue in 2015. A majority of travellers come from China, South Korea, and Japan as they enjoy Thailand’s weather. A large portion of visitors also come from the USA and Europe.
Foreign tourists continue to be the most lucrative for the economy with these arrivals projected to total 9.3 million in the first quarter of 2016. Foreign travellers will account for an estimated THB 490 billion in revenue during this time. This is much higher than the 32.5 million domestic travellers that accounted for THB 240 billion in revenue last year.
“Thailand is still a popular destination,” says Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. “We have a lot of different things to offer our foreign visitors. Stability and improvements in the economy mean more foreign tourist arrivals. So there’s clearly demand, and it’s up to us to accommodate everyone who wants to come.”
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