Thai Tourism to grow only 5%

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Thai Tourism to Grow Only 5%
Tan Network 2011-04-19

Private tour businesses reported that the number of foreign travelers going through Suvannhabhumi Airport during the Songkran festival increased this year by 30%.

For the year though, they've identified several factors that have had a considerable influence on targeted travelers and have adjusted estimates down to 7.1 million tourists for the year.

Tourism Council of Thailand President Kongkrit Hirunkit revealed that the percentage of foreigners who traveled during the Songkran festival rose sharply, up 30% from usual.

Phuket Airport also added more than 200 flights, which reflects the high number of foreigners coming to celebrate during the festival.

Tourism businesses in Thailand are experiencing success similar to 2007.

The Tourism Council of Thailand estimates that the growth in the number of arriving foreign tourists will not meet earlier targets, however.

Despite there being several negative factors, the council is lowering the targeted tourism growth to between 5-8%, and expects 16.7-17.1 million foreign travelers.

This is less than growth estimates from the beginning of the year, which put the increase at 8-10%, or 17.1-17.3 million foreign travelers.

The three main negative factors are the effect of Japan's earthquake and tsunami, Middle East and north african countries' political issues and rising oil prices.

One positive tourism trend are expectations that business owners will raise service fees approximately 5-10%, which is in keeping with the higher production costs such labor, raw materials and energy costs.

This is the first price increase in three years.

The tourism business owners' confidence index in the first quarter is at 107, which reflects a stable confidence in business investment.