The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Northeastern Office is determined to continue promoting religious tourism and to attract more than 22 million visitors to the region in 2013.

The targeted visitor numbers and spending represent a 2-percent and a 6-percent on-year increase.

TAT Deputy Governor for Domestic Marketing Thawatchai Arunyik said that, in order to help the Northeast achieve its ambitions, the TAT will join the Queen Sirikit Convention Centre in Bangkok to organise a tourism promotion during January 24-27.

According to the TAT Deputy Governor, tourist routes in the Northeast found popular among travellers from within the country and neighbouring Laos and Vietnam are mostly related to Buddhism.

He added that a marketing budget of 72 million THB has been allocated to promote northeastern tourist market in 2013.

In addition, Thawatchai said that the tourism industry is forecast to see 115 million local holidaymakers roaming the country and injecting approximately 537.8 billion THB into the economy this year.-VNA/NNT