Thailand Targets Tourism Revenue of 3.18 Trillion Baht in 2020

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a target of 3.18 trillion Baht in overall tourism revenue for 2020, a 4% year-on-year increase.

The amount includes 2.02 trillion Baht from international tourists, up 3%, and 1.16 trillion Baht from domestic tourists, an increase of 5%.

Last year, Thailand is estimated to have generated 3.06 trillion Baht, a 4% increase on 2018. This impressive amount includes 1.96 trillion Baht, an increase of 4%, from 39.77 million international tourists, also up 4%, and 1.10 trillion Baht, a growth of 3%, from 167 million domestic trips, up 1%.

Thailand welcomed its 39 millionth tourist of the year on 27 December 2019.

“TAT’s target for 2020 is based on several favourable factors, ranging from the government’s stimulus measures, TAT’s focussed marketing strategies and promotions of emerging destinations, new air routes and the positive outlook of international tourists to Thailand from key source markets,” said Khun Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor.

The Thai government has launched a number of measures designed to help stimulate more inbound travel, including the opening of more VAT refund shops and counters, 24-hour cross-border service on the Thai-Malaysian and Thai-Lao borders during weekends and holidays, e-visas and exemption of the visa-on-arrival fee until 30 April 2020, and a 50% discount on airport landing fees for international flights from 1 December 2019 to 30 April 2020, to name but a few.

New air routes, including Hangzhou-Chiang Rai, Sendai-Bangkok, Munich-Phuket, and Doha-Chiang Mai, will also help to boost arrivals.

Mr. Yuthasak said, “Leveraging these favourable factors and gearing up to mark the 60th anniversary in 2020, TAT is committed to making travel and tourism the kingdom’s most economically promising, environmentally sustainable, and culturally vibrant sector.”

In 2020, TAT is seeing a positive outlook of international tourists to Thailand from several markets including the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam), Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Spain, Eastern Europe, Israel and the US.

The Chinese, Singaporean and Middle Eastern markets are showing signs of recovery, while the Japanese, Hong Kong, European, Scandinavian, Australian and Latin American markets are expected to remain stable or show a slow growth.

Mr. Yuthasak said, “TAT is also preparing to overcome several challenges, including the effect from the China–US trade war, the rise in consumption tax in Japan, and Brexit. The strong Thai Baht, Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, World Expo 2020 Dubai and stimulus visa schemes from country competitors have also been taken into consideration when laying out our tourism marketing strategies.”

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