With a significantly decreased budget from its 2019 benchmark, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) faces the daunting task of increasing foreign arrivals from 28 million in 2023 to 40 million in the span of just a year. The drastic goal was deliberated on Tuesday when Chai Wacharonke, a government spokesperson, revealed potential plans to boost arrivals to this figure, spurred by new initiatives like the reciprocal visa-free scheme between Thailand and China.
Yet, the ambitious target remains unofficial as the Tourism and Sport Ministry continues to uphold its goal of 35 million foreign arrivals for 2024. During a record-breaking year in 2019, Thailand saw 39.8 million foreign arrivals and 2 trillion baht (US$ 58,105,760,000) in revenue, thanks to a generous budget of 6.6 billion baht (US$ 191,749,008) granted to the TAT, as informed…
