Thai tourism unaffected by European debt crisis

BANGKOK, June 28 (TNA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa says that the ongoing European debt crisis has not yet affected the Thai tourism, as the number of international tourist arrivals in the Kingdom grew by 7 per cent year-on-year in the first five months of this year, on top of some 19.23 million international visitors to the Kingdom last year, earning the country about 776 billion baht tourism-related revenues. Chumpol said the government also expected that Thailand would generate up to some two trillion baht tourism-related revenues by 2015, when the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC) is formed, unless there was any serious negative factor. The deputy premier foresaw that the target could be realized, urging all parties to cooperate so that the Thai tourism could become a secure and sustainable source of national income. Thailand's tourism has kept growing despite internal and external crises, thanks to a plenty and variety of tourism-related resources and unique cultures in the country, as well as the collaboration of the local public and private sectors and even the general public. (TNA)