TCT Confident That Thailand Will Reach 12M Foreign Tourists This Year.

This year, the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) anticipates that more than 12 million tourists will take a trip to Thailand.

Chamnan Srisawat, president of the TCT, said that the tourism industry needs between 12 and 16 million international tourists to thrive.

He added that this number represents 40% of all tourist visits in the Kingdom before the pandemic.

Chamnan expressed confidence that Thailand will draw more than 12 million international tourists this year, whereas the government has set a goal of 10 million.

Chamnan admits that the country only welcomed 2 million foreign tourists in the year’s first half.  However, more than 1 million foreign tourists arrived in July. He expects the number of tourists to surpass 1 million in August and September.

During the peak season from October through December, he anticipated at least 2 million international tourists every month.

Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Yuthasak Supasorn said that 3,977,631 international tourists visited Thailand this year with an average of 35,000 to 40,000 foreign arrivals per day. He predict that the number would reach 4.5 million by end of this month.

The governor told reports that he requested CCSA to approve visa extensions for foreign tourists.  Here’s his proposal:

From 30 to 45 days for visas from 56 countries.
From 15 to 30 days for those coming with a Visa on Arrival.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand also wants to abolish arrival cards for travelers crossing land borders with Malaysia and Laos since a large number of tourists arrive through these two countries.

The governor added that his office expects that China will lift the travel ban and let Chinese tourists visit Thailand before the end of 2022, given that the Thai government has loosened most COVID-related entry restrictions.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand assumed that rising interest rates would have little effect on tourists’ choice to travel, and the office would not change its target numbers for international and local tourists since travelers will continue to travel.

SOURCE: The Nation

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