After attracting more than 100,000 tourists from India since January, the government expects that number to hit 500,000 by the end of the year.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Sunday they could bring in revenue of 22.5 billion baht.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is aiming to attract 3,000 Indian arrivals a day through various promotions, including opening new routes between India and different parts of the country, such as an India-Chiang Mai route, he said.
Wedding tourism is another area TAT believes holds strong appeal to the Indian market. It has set a target of staging 400 such events in the kingdom over the course of the year, he said.
Apart from India, TAT is also focusing on the Middle East region as well as Thailand’s neighbouring countries until the end of September when peak season returns.
Currently, at least 500,000 international tourists are expected each month, which is a substantial increase from the authority’s earlier 300,000 estimate, and reflects growing optimism about the sector’s recovery.
During the peak tourism season of October to December, the number could swell to one million arrivals per month. “That will greatly improve Thailand’s tourism situation and encourage more spending and employment in this sector,” he said.
In total, Thailand expects to welcome 7-10 million international tourists and make 1.5 trillion baht in related income this year, about half the amount generated in the last full year before Covid-19 struck in 2019, he said.
