The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand is expected to reach 12 million at the end of this year…
The number of foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand is expected to reach 12 million at the end of this year, as targeted by the government.
The Tourism and Sports Minister Mr. Sontaya Kunplome told TNA yesterday that the targeted number of tourist arrivals in the country was likely to be met, thanks to a steady increase in the number of foreign tourists in the first six months of this year and a continued upward trend in the second half of this year.
He pointed out that the number of foreign visitors to the kingdom in the January-June period by air alone reached 3.84 million, or about 80% of the total foreign visitors during the period.
The figure is considered satisfactory, as it is a 26.37% increase from the same period of last year, and even a 5.8% increase from 2002 when the country had yet faced the bird flu crisis and the violence in the deep South, he noted.
Mr. Sontaya said that the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the kingdom in June stood at 628,119, an increase of 51.9% and 23% from the same month in 2003 and 2002 respectively, despite the bird flu problem and the spate of unrest in the South.
The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the kingdom are projected to continue on the upward trend due to a number of long holidays, and promotional campaigns by tourism-related agencies, according to the minister.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports` aggressive strategies on promoting the domestic tourism industry, including the development of tourist sites, communications, and human resources, as well as the implementation of an integrated tourism management, were also expected to help boost the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the kingdom to reach 20 million in 2008, as targeted by the government, said Mr. Sontaya.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
![[PR] PR_Ascott and Vimut Hospital_2024](https://www.traveldailynews.asia/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PR-PR_Ascott-and-Vimut-Hospital_2024-400x265.jpg)
