Tourism Industry Expected to Generate Bt600 Bln This Year

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Tourism Industry Expected to Generate Bt600 Bln This Year
Tan Network 2011-06-17

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is confident that the improvement of the local political situation will help push foreign tourist arrivals to reach the target of 17 million for the whole year. Achieving the targeted number of visitors would result in 600 billion baht in revenue for the country.

Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, Governor Surapol Svetserani, said the tourism industry has made a remarkable recovery from last year's political crisis, and if there is no further political violence, the TAT is confident that Thailand will welcome up to 16.8 to 17 million foreign visitors this year, bringing at least 600 billion baht into the country.

He further said more foreign tourists, particularly from Asian countries like Japan, are visiting Thailand.

As for this rainy season, Surapol said the TAT plans to organize several activities to promote domestic tourism. He estimated domestic tourism will generate at least 430 to 450 billion baht in revenue this year.

Surapol added that risk factors like political instability and natural disasters may hurt foreign tourists' confidence. However, he is hoping that the upcoming general election will proceed smoothly, as it would help increase foreign confidence in Thailand.

The TAT governor today presided over a ceremony to present an award to Marco Sturio from Switzerland, who is the winner of the “Most Amazing Show on Earth,” an article and photo competition. The contest saw participants from all across the globe sharing their travel stories and unique and memorable experiences about Thailand in the form of photo essays. The winning entries can be seen on www.tourismthailand.org.
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TAT: Japanese tourists returning to Thailand
NNT 2011-06-18

BANGKOK, 18 June 2011 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reported that the number of Japanese visitors in Thailand is rebounding while expecting the total number of foreign tourists this year to reach 15.5-16.8 million.

According to TAT Governor Surapol Svetasreni, 8.2 million foreigners have traveled to Thailand since January 2011, increasing by 24.36 percent from the same period last year. Visitors from disaster-stricken Japan have also started to return to the Kingdom with a 10 percent rise in their number during the first five months of this year.

The TAT anticipates as many as 15.5-16.8 million foreign tourists within Thailand throughout this year, generating about 600 billion THB of income. Domestic tourism is also expected to create a circulation of 430 billion THB.