Thailand welcomes record number in foreign tourists

The number of foreign arrivals to Thailand hit a record high of 3.5 million in December 2017, jumping 16 percent year on year. (Photo: ​Fortune)

The number of foreign arrivals to Thailand hit a record high of 3.5 million in December 2017, jumping 16 percent year on year.

The Thai tourism ministry’s Permanent Secretary Pongpanu Svetarundra also predicted a fresh high in January, which is the traditional peak season for tourism.

The Thai Government is targeting 37 million international arrivals in 2018 and earn 3 trillion THB (94 billion USD) in revenue from domestic and foreign tourists combined, he noted. That is worth one fifth of the country’s gross domestic product.

Tourism has been given special attention when export, key motive of Thai economy, fell in three consecutive years until 2016. 

During January-November in 2017, Thailand’s exports surged 10 percent despite its currency rose 9 percent. Thai exporters said that the strong baht resulted in a loss of 350 billion THB (10.86 billion USD) in the country’s export revenue last year.

VNA