Thailand expects to serve 30 million foreign arrivals this year

Chiang Mai, Thailand (Photo: Thaiairways)

Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand's tourism industry expects foreign arrivals to exceed 30 million in 2023, higher than government estimates of 25-27.5 million.

Making the forecast on January 31, the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) predicted foreign and domestic tourists will generate over 3 trillion baht (91 billion USD) in revenue this year.

However, TCT President Chamnan Srisawat warned the huge volume of visitors will pose challenges for the Thai tourism industry, which is still recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most tourism businesses are still suffering liquidity and labour shortages, he explained, while some are missing out on new opportunities.

The council is tackling the problems by cooperating with the Office of SMEs Promotion to help entrepreneurs tap new trends like wellness- and metaverse-based tourism, he said, adding that it is also liaising with the Government Savings Bank and National Credit Bureau for access to soft loans for tourism operators.

In addition, the TCT is paying attention to collaborating with the Labour Ministry, Vocational Education Commission and Thailand Professional Qualification Institute to fill gaps in the tourism labour market./.

VNA