According to Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri, at least 1.5mn monthly visitors are expected during the remainder of the year. He noted that flight bookings from India and Malaysia to Thailand showed a load-factor of 85% and 68%, respectively, in November and December.
More than 1mn Malaysians have toured Thailand this year, making them the single-largest group of travelers to the kingdom famous for its beaches, modern malls, developed transportation networks, national parks, healthcare infrastructure and Buddhist temples. Almost 600,000 Indians visited Thailand in the first nine months of the year, compared with less than 1,000 a year earlier, reports NNT.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is counting on tourism revival to offset the hit from high global energy prices and volatile financial markets. Thailand scrapped all travel curbs in July and most businesses have returned to normal operations, helping bring back tourists who were mostly absent in the previous two years.
Citing a forecast by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Anucha said the number of visitors may surge to 18mn next year and generate about B970 billion in tourism revenue.
The TAT forecasts that domestic travel will generate B760bn in revenue in 2023, according to the tourism authority.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has ordered relevant agencies to deploy more personnel to handle the surge in tourist arrivals, especially at immigration counters at the airports.