Thailand targets 80m foreign tourist arrival sper year by 2027 (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand is eyeing up to 80 million foreign tourist arrivals per year by 2027, twice the number in 2019 and far exceeding the Thai population of 70 million.
Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the tourism development plan during 2023-2027 aims to generate 5 trillion baht (about 152 billion USD) in annual revenue by 2027 – almost tripling the 1.93 trillion baht generated by foreign arrivals in 2019.
This year, the ministry expects to see at least 25 million foreign tourists land in Thailand, helping the sector recover to 60% of the pre-pandemic level. Total revenue from domestic and foreign tourists in 2023 is forecast at 2.4 trillion baht, or 80% of the level before the COVID-19 pandemic, driven by Chinese arrivals after the country scrapped travel restrictions on January 8.
The minister acknowledged that the country has to prepare personnel and resources to welcome more foreign tourists.
He added that the ministry will coordinate with the Labour Ministry to build up the size and skills of the tourism workforce.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Thailand welcomed 11.81 million foreign tourists in 2022, helping generate a total revenue from domestic and international tourists of 1.5 trillion baht with most foreign visitors coming from Malaysia (1.95 million), followed by India (965,994), Laos (844,959), Cambodia (591,657) and Singapore (589,770)./.
