The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has forecast that between 7 and 10 million foreign tourists will visit Thailand this year, which will generate about 1.5 trillion baht in revenue for the country, according to Government Spokesman Thanathorn Wangboonkongchana.
1,359,056 foreign tourists have already visited Thailand since the beginning of this year and the TAT expects that arrivals will increase to about half a million a month during the third quarter, instead of 300,000 as earlier projected, and up to one million a month during the fourth quarter, which is the high season, he said.
He attributed the increase in foreign arrivals to the relaxation of travel restrictions, including the recent scrapping of all quarantine measures, although the ”Thailand Pass” is still required for non-Thai arrivals.
He said that the TAT plans to lead a delegation of tourism related businesses in talks with their counterparts in France, the Netherlands and Belgium to promote Thai tourism.
The TAT will also lead a delegation to China, once the country opens up and allows its citizens to travel abroad, expected at the end of this year.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago, Chinese tourists accounted for the majority of foreign arrivals.
Thanathorn also said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is pleased with the improvement in the tourism sector in Thailand and hopes that the situation continues to improve.
Nevertheless, he said that the prime minister, in his capacity as director of the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), has stressed the need for the public to comply with basic safety measures.
