Thailand eyes 36-40 million foreign tourists this year | World

Illustrative image (Photo: The Nation)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand is estimated to receive 36 million foreign
tourists in 2024, thanks to the improving economy and the government’s
supporting policies, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch).

The centre’s estimates are based on the 6.4 million foreign arrivals recorded
in the first two months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 50%.

The centre predicted that foreign arrivals by the end of the
first quarter may reach 9.32 million, up 42.7% year-on-year, and showing a
positive sign for the rest of the year.

KResearch attributed the jump in foreign arrivals to
Thailand’s improving economy and the government’s short- and long-term tourism
promotion policies.

The most outstanding one is the visa-free policy that has
been implemented since September last year beginning with a five-month visa
exemption for visitors from China and Kazakhstan, followed by India and Taiwan (China)
in November, the centre said.

From March 1, Thailand and China have mutually waived visa
requirements for their citizens permanently.      

Other supporting factors include airlines opening new routes
to Thailand as well as increasing flight frequency. Data from the Civil
Aviation Authority of Thailand indicates that Thailand enjoyed 34% more
international flights in January-February than the same period last year, or
around 68,000 flights, which are about 78% of those recorded in the same period
of 2019.

The centre expected to see more flight routes from countries
like China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Scandinavian countries throughout
the year from both normal and low-cost airlines.

KResearch’s estimates are, however, lower than those of the
Tourism and Sports Ministry, which has predicted around 40 million foreign
arrivals in 2024, generating around 2.3 trillion THB (65 billion USD) in
tourism revenue./.