Thailand targets 35 million international tourists

[webfact]

 

The Tourism and Sports Ministry of Thailand is optimistic about its ability to attract 35 million international tourists this year. This confidence stems from the fact that in the first month of the year alone, the country recorded three million foreign visitors.

 

The encouraging figure was aided by daily arrivals exceeding 90,000 on weekdays and 100,000 during the weekends in January. The government plans to maintain this momentum through a variety of incentives throughout the year.

 

These include the continuation of visa-free schemes for all eligible countries, the removal of TM6 immigration forms at the Thai-Malaysian border checkpoints, and promotions aimed at second-tier cities.

 

As of the start of February, the highest number of visitors were from China, with a total of 533,450 arrivals. They were followed by Malaysia and South Korea, with 337,729 and 229,517 tourists respectively.

The president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, mentioned that the airfares for China-Thailand routes remain high compared to 2019. The prices spiked to 4,000-5,000 yuan or approximately 20,000 baht (US$559) for a round-trip ticket during the Chinese New Year.

 

by Alex Morgan 

Photo courtesy of iStock

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-02-07

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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[flyingtlger]

50 minutes ago, webfact said:

As of the start of February, the highest number of visitors were from China, with a total of 533,450 arrivals. They were followed by Malaysia and South Korea, with 337,729 and 229,517 tourists respectively.

 

Wishful thinking.

They'll need a lot more tourist to hit 35M.....

[ThailandRyan]

Good luck Thailand.....your going to need more than that crystal ball your using to make your predictions.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Tourism and Sports Ministry of Thailand is optimistic about its ability to attract 35 million international tourists this year. This confidence stems from the fact that in the first month of the year alone, the country recorded three million foreign visitors.

TAT targets... yet again

[Mbolo]

Stop this silly numbers game and get out there to clean up the rubbish and the sea water 

[soalbundy]

I had targets when I was younger but as Schopenhauer once said, "Don't expect happiness then you won't be disappointed"

[neeray]

1 hour ago, Mbolo said:

Stop this silly numbers game and get out there to clean up the rubbish and the sea water 

That would be an excellent start. But then, that would involve long term thinking/planning. 

On my first trip to Thailand, I asked my gf, why all the piles of rubbish at the side of peoples' homes? 

Why is the rubbish beside the  rubbish containers (where there were some) instead of in the container?

Her answer.................. Welcome to Thailand.

[neeray]

Target whatever you want TAT. Nobody believes the targeted number anyway. History is not on your side.

[Mike Lister]

8 minutes ago, neeray said:

Target whatever you want TAT. Nobody believes the targeted number anyway. History is not on your side.

History is very much on their side. And if the numbers are not accurate today, they have always been counted this way so that means they've been wrong forever:

 

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/tourist-arrivals

[jacko45k]

24 minutes ago, neeray said:

That would be an excellent start. But then, that would involve long term thinking/planning. 

The desire to increase tourist numbers is strong, the willingness to improve infrastructure is absent. Bangkok got it's Skytrains and Expressways, Pattaya got a single underpass....many side streets are litter strewn and the place is generally scruffy. We have had a lot of effort burying drainage pipes, leaving behind roads that are rough enough to shake your teeth out. Whether the drains work has yet to be proven... may have been a waste as we head to a dryer, hotter climate!

Edited February 7 by jacko45k

[mikebell]

2 hours ago, Mbolo said:

Stop this silly numbers game and get out there to clean up the rubbish and the sea water 

and the air and the dog dirt and the police force.

[klauskunkel]

Quote

Thailand targets 35 million international tourists

Thailand targets to annoy 35 million international tourists

There, much more realistic

[DonniePeverley]

They will reach those numbers, and probably some more. Tourism has bounced back around the world. 

 

They panicked and stopped visa fees for Chinese and Indians to give a boost, which was a stimulus that wasn't needed. If you cancel some 2000 Baht for nearly 15-20 million tourists that is a big massive investment. The only way you are going to even recoup that (and then some more) is by massively allowing millions more tourists to enter. 

 

Now effectively what you have done is remove all the levers that could sustain a level of tourism that the country can handle. There is no way they will reinstate visa fees for the Chinese again. You now have no levers to stop the masses coming in.

 

The knee jerk decisions have been astonishing. 

 

You are already seeing many complaints from Phuket and some islands about the sheer volume of tourists. If you are going to open the gates to allow a free for all, then you need the infrustructure in place (roads, transport system being vital). At the moment Bangkok roads are a standstill. Phuket has zero public transport system, nor do the islands. The airports have seem massives queues. 

 

The vaunted BTS in Bangkok (although still great) has gone from seating, to removing many seats, to now everyone just stand up and get squashed in. 

 

You need to invest in the infrustructure like Singapore has to accomdate that many people, but sadly that is not going to happen here. 

 

So what you are going to get is 40-50 million tourists this year. Most will be low spenders, and most will have miserable experiences. 

 

And those who live here will suffer. 

[Mike Lister]

Can we just head off the inevitable argument.....it doesn't matter if some expats leave and reenter the country several times in the year and are included in the numbers. And it doesn't matter that the numbers may include day trippers and shoppers from neighbouring countries. The numbers have been counted the same way for ever, if they are distorted today, they were distorted all along so it's all relative. Anyway, those people still spend money here, foreign currency typically plus they keep coming back and that's what tourists do.

[stargrazer9889]

Well it is high season until when? Mid April or May 1st? It also seems that there are

still lots of tourists who come in the low season to visit their families and Thailand

from id june to September, when it is Summer school holidays in some other countries.

  35 million seems a tad high, considering the global economy though.

In My Opinion.

[kinyara]

8 hours ago, neeray said:

Target whatever you want TAT. Nobody believes the targeted number anyway. History is not on your side.

 

Actually history is on their side.

 

2022 - TAT target 10 million - 11.2 million achieved

2023 - TAT target 25-30 million - 28.2 million achieved

2024 - TAT target 35 million - pro rata January 2.96 million - 3.035 million achieved

[SmartyMarty]

I’m curious as to how TAT think that any campaign they run actually has an effect. Just because numbers increase, in no way can it be linked to advertising.

[Mike Lister]

4 minutes ago, SmartyMarty said:

I’m curious as to how TAT think that any campaign they run actually has an effect. Just because numbers increase, in no way can it be linked to advertising.

If you believe that, you probably don't believe that marketing works at all, which of course it does.

 

TAT will target different markets and set up campaigns in those countries, advertising and the like, aimed at the segments they are trying to attract. People respond to marketing, consciously and sub consciously, you're surrounded my marketing influences all the time, even here in the forum. Sometimes their efforts are aimed at airlines, the carriers that bring people here, perhaps to incentivise them to offer more flights etc.

 

 

[uttradit]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

The desire to increase tourist numbers is strong, the willingness to improve infrastructure is absent. Bangkok got it's Skytrains and Expressways, Pattaya got a single underpass....many side streets are litter strewn and the place is generally scruffy. We have had a lot of effort burying drainage pipes, leaving behind roads that are rough enough to shake your teeth out. Whether the drains work has yet to be proven... may have been a waste as we head to a dryer, hotter climate!

Thailand has a wet climate. Chiang Mai is doing well for tourism.

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, uttradit said:

Thailand has a wet climate. Chiang Mai is doing well for tourism.

Climates can change... it has been far from wet in the Pattaya area! Chiangmai is benefiting from less pollution so far this year.

[newnative]

On 2/7/2024 at 9:11 AM, Mike Lister said:

Can we just head off the inevitable argument.....it doesn't matter if some expats leave and reenter the country several times in the year and are included in the numbers. And it doesn't matter that the numbers may include day trippers and shoppers from neighbouring countries. The numbers have been counted the same way for ever, if they are distorted today, they were distorted all along so it's all relative. Anyway, those people still spend money here, foreign currency typically plus they keep coming back and that's what tourists do.

     No matter how many times you explain that the counting system has not changed--and I have posted the fact a number of times--it doesn't sink in.  Or, perhaps, they just don't want to hear anything they don't want to hear.  They don't want to hear any facts that go against their narrative.   As dear old Dad used to say, in one ear and out the other.

     If they don't hear it, they can continue to spout their nonsense about none of the tourist numbers from the last half dozen years or so being believable.  If they don't hear it, they can continue to lament that Thailand's supposed catering to the Asian market devastated the western tourist market, with the western tourist numbers down drastically, even in the years before covid.  In reality, no western country's tourist numbers were down in the years from 2015 to 2019 except Australia's, which were down only very slightly.  And some, such as America, had healthy increases.  

[SmartyMarty]

On 2/7/2024 at 4:54 PM, Mike Lister said:

If you believe that, you probably don't believe that marketing works at all, which of course it does.

 

TAT will target different markets and set up campaigns in those countries, advertising and the like, aimed at the segments they are trying to attract. People respond to marketing, consciously and sub consciously, you're surrounded my marketing influences all the time, even here in the forum. Sometimes their efforts are aimed at airlines, the carriers that bring people here, perhaps to incentivise them to offer more flights etc.

 

 

But there is no metric that can link any tourism campaign to tourist numbers unless they must engage with the campaign in some way. Otherwise there are many other measures that influence it. Airline deals, local weather, exchange rates, holiday periods. I’ve worked in this area for a long time and understand marketing 100%.

[DonniePeverley]

4 million arrivals in January. Airports the busiest i've ever seen them since time began. 

 

That would be on course to smash 50 million for the year. 

 

No hand breaks now with all visas fees waves for China and India.

 

 

There seems to be a raft of online content creators who are pushing this 'move to Thailand' nonsense too. Particularly from the UK on TikTok. Flat out lies how anyone can just come to Thailand and work, the supposed cheapness of the country ( it isn't), and how easy it all is (it's not that easy), and how the UK is a dump. Funnily enough none of them are prepared to give up their UK citizenship though. 

 

I found it rather bizarre, until one of the guys on TikTok who pushes this whole narrative (it's cheap, move to Thailand), suddenly appeared at a mall event with officials talking about tourism. When he was asked if he was just promoting Thailand, he denied it. But it does feel slightly unusual and a whiff of adverts posing as 'amateurs'. 

 

Anyways tourism is back in a big way. We had a great few years with relative peace, but that's all over now. 

[zhounan]

Promote Lamyai Haithongkham TAT's President. She knows how to attract tourists in Thailand.

[zhounan]

10 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

4 million arrivals in January. Airports the busiest i've ever seen them since time began. 

 

That would be on course to smash 50 million for the year. 

 

No hand breaks now with all visas fees waves for China and India.

 

 

There seems to be a raft of online content creators who are pushing this 'move to Thailand' nonsense too. Particularly from the UK on TikTok. Flat out lies how anyone can just come to Thailand and work, the supposed cheapness of the country ( it isn't), and how easy it all is (it's not that easy), and how the UK is a dump. Funnily enough none of them are prepared to give up their UK citizenship though. 

 

I found it rather bizarre, until one of the guys on TikTok who pushes this whole narrative (it's cheap, move to Thailand), suddenly appeared at a mall event with officials talking about tourism. When he was asked if he was just promoting Thailand, he denied it. But it does feel slightly unusual and a whiff of adverts posing as 'amateurs'. 

 

Anyways tourism is back in a big way. We had a great few years with relative peace, but that's all over now. 

 

There's a new term in the village, you should know it, it's "influence for hire".

It's a subliminal weapon, soft power ones, but still a weapon.

[Mike Lister]

Trolling post removed