He stressed that although Thailand’s tourism industry has been recovering this year, the country still faces many challenges and risks and needs to be approached carefully.
Given the uncertainty and fragility of the global economy, it is not possible to do nothing and hope for the best in the final three months of the high season.
“Unforeseen circumstances may arise that prevent Thailand from achieving its goals,” he noted.
He further said Thailand’s tourism industry should be prepared to accept the possibility that it may not meet its 3.5 trillion baht revenue target, noting that the latest tourism spending figures were lower than pre-COVID-19 periods, averaging 46,000 baht per person per trip, down from 49,000 baht in 2019.
This change indicates that the majority of tourists worldwide are still affected by the decline in purchasing power and the slowdown in the global economy.Another factor is the influx of tourists from short-term markets such as Malaysia who prefer to cross the border and stay for just two to three days.
Tourism Authority of Thailand chief executive Tapanee Kiatpaibool vowed to maintain Thailand as a top tourist destination even as Japan benefits from a weak yen and Thais continue to travel and spend money in Thailand.
“TAT will focus on attracting foreign tourists to Thailand in the most effective way to achieve the government’s target of 36.7 million tourists this year. Meanwhile, revenue needs to surge to reach the total revenue target of 3.5 trillion baht. We will be satisfied if we can limit tourist spending to 50,000 baht per person per trip. TAT expects at least 40 million foreign tourists to visit Thailand by 2025,” she said.
Her remarks came ahead of a key meeting on TAT’s marketing direction and action plan, to be held at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre from July 8 to 12. Afterwards, the TAT will hold a press conference to unveil the country’s marketing roadmap to boost the tourism industry and redefine the concept of a “quality tourist”.
Previously, the TAT defined this group as people earning more than $60,000 a year.
However, a new study analyzed the current shopping habits of this group and found that only 10% of their income – the equivalent of $6,000 a year – can be spent on tourism.
This prompted the TAT to revise its definition of a quality tourist to a “two-faced affluent person” – one side is someone who enjoys luxury and fine food, and the other side is someone with a conscience who pays more attention to environmental protection.
Chamnan Srisawat, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand, suggested that to help grow Thailand’s tourism industry, the government put the issue on the national agenda and declare next year the “Tourism Year of Thailand” to attract 40 to 45 million tourists to Thailand.
