Tourist arrivals in Thailand likely to reach nearly 16m this year

BANGKOK, Dec 23 (TNA) - The Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT) says that the number of international tourist arrivals in the Kingdom this year is likely to hit 15.7-15.8 million, bringing in national tourism-related revenues at some 580-600 billion baht.

TAT Governor Suraphon Svetserani attributed the robust recovery of the Thai tourism to the underlying strength of the local tourism industry, improved overall global economic conditions despite slowdown in some regions and effective campaigns launched by both Thai public and private sectors.

Looking forward with an expected slowdown in the European and the US markets, Suraphon said TAT plans to capitalize on high growth potential of emerging markets, including Indonesia, Brazil and Argentina in the future, projecting that the Thai tourism sector was likely to grow by 7-8 per cent next year if there was no any renewed political unrest in the country.

According to preliminary data released from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, international tourist arrivals in Thailand from January to November this year reached 14 million, growing by 12.6 per cent year-on-year. (TNA)