Thailand tourist arrivals to hit 20 million this year

BANGKOK, Oct 15 – Thailand will achieve its target 20 million tourist arrival by year end, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Ministry permanent-secretary Suwat Sidthilaw said 15 million tourists entered Thailand from January through September, an 8-per cent increase year-on-year reflecting performance for the first three-fourths of the calendar year.

He said the number of tourists will reach the targeted 20 million, as the last quarter is the high season period, and 900 charter flights will also fly to Thailand.

Mr Suwat said the ministry goal for tourism revenue was set to reach Bt2 trillion in 2015.

Urgent issues to be dealt with to reach both objectives include illegal taxis and jet ski problems in the resort island of Phuket.

Other matters to attract more tourists are finding solutions to slow immigration processing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, as well as focusing on new markets such as ASEAN, eastern Europe, Latin America, the Baltic countries, and promoting Thai cultural activities at a world-class level. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-15

Mr Suwat said the ministry goal for tourism revenue was set to reach Bt2 trillion in 2015

These numbers seem to just roll off the tongues of these ministers, 15 million visitors so far this year? Someone forgot to tell the restaurant and bars, because all I hear is that it has been a quiet year! They may have had 15 million 'pass through' the airport transit lounges.

Chiangmai officials said that tourism was down something like 8% (cant recall exact figure) but it WAS down.

No doubt when Oct 2015 arrives Mr Suwat (if he is still in office) will say loud and clear, "we have had 1.5 Trillion visitors so far this year and are well on target to achieve the 2 Trillion I predicted three years ago"

Maybe my maths is a bit wobbly but that's 100,000 bucks per tourist

Mr Suwat said the ministry goal for tourism revenue was set to reach Bt2 trillion in 2015

These numbers seem to just roll off the tongues of these ministers, 15 million visitors so far this year? Someone forgot to tell the restaurant and bars, because all I hear is that it has been a quiet year! They may have had 15 million 'pass through' the airport transit lounges.

Chiangmai officials said that tourism was down something like 8% (cant recall exact figure) but it WAS down.

No doubt when Oct 2015 arrives Mr Suwat (if he is still in office) will say loud and clear, "we have had 1.5 Trillion visitors so far this year and are well on target to achieve the 2 Trillion I predicted three years ago"

Just a white lie,

Now for sure i feel good

here we go again, (expected--the trend) manipulated to hell are the figures, stats enthusiats will be in their elememnt with this one, AGAIN. slamming anyone who dares to argue with THEIR figures. SO (yawn) another session is about to begin. All the airport-- border crossings--transits--or a.n.other, are used in figures to put out the highest figures they dare.

The other related things like taxis and jet ski are things most do not use. (un metered taxis) these only give a bad impression when tourists are aware--otherwise it is rising costs and GREED that have to be addressed. Most of all the corruption= government --and down to local admin and on to people, an attitude that is spread by word of mouth-and internet. The new visitors in recent times have yet not yet encountered what the west already knows.

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

With 15 million visitors in the first 3 quarters and another 5 million expected in the last 'high season' quarter, it must have been high season all year round.

Do they not look at these make believe figures before releasing them.

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

To be fair he did say charter flights rather than scheduled flights or buses, taxis, walk in, etc.

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

To be fair he did say charter flights rather than scheduled flights or buses, taxis, walk in, etc.

Really..??

So you can pick out where the word(s) 'charter flight' are mentioned in the original article can you??

What I see is:

"He said the number of tourists will reach the targeted 20 million, as the last quarter is the high season period, and 900 charter flights will also fly to Thailand."

Or are you reading something I am not...?

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

To be fair he did say charter flights rather than scheduled flights or buses, taxis, walk in, etc.

Really..??

So you can pick out where the word(s) 'charter flight' are mentioned in the original article can you??

What I see is:

"He said the number of tourists will reach the targeted 20 million, as the last quarter is the high season period, and 900 charter flights will also fly to Thailand."

Or are you reading something I am not...?

"and 900 charter flights will also fly to Thailand." I read this as 900 chartered flights will fly to Thailand in addition to regular flights.

They're clearly attracted by the offer of all-the-free-rice-you-can carry-on, for their homeward-flights !

oops, sorry, that story isn't for release until tomorrow, my mistake !

"Urgent issues to be dealt with to reach both objectives include illegal taxis and jet ski problems in the resort island of Phuket"

So the jet ski problems in Pattaya have been solved then ?

Hate to put a dampner on the usaual negative comments that always appear after a positive outlook with anything to do with Thailand but the airport is always busy as is land crossimgs from what I have seen or been told. Pattaya seems to be OK with many places full......I think it really dosnt matter what anyone says some people really just need to get out more rather than sitting in front of a PC....maybe the negative comments come from people that just havnt moved with the times and stay/look/visit the same places and havnt noticed what is happening under their noses!!!

How many of these 'tourists' are visa runners? Any statistics about, how much the 15/30 day rule finds it way into this 20 Million number?

"Urgent issues to be dealt with to reach both objectives include illegal taxis and jet ski problems in the resort island of Phuket"

So the jet ski problems in Pattaya have been solved then ?

Part of it?

Great news for Thailand in terms of number of visitors continuing to increase, especially after seeing an almost 20% increase last year. I wouldn't have been surprised to see the numbers drop this year after such a spike but they continue to grow. What isn't mentioned is that it would seem the type of tourists are also changing to those who do traditional tourist activities and visit more of the less seedy and/or cheap attractions. Great for Thailand but sucks for those of us who live here and want to visit some of the nice islands and beaches that used to be much more reasonably priced and less crowded. Even places like Koh Samet have become crowded and much more expensive. It wasn't long ago you could just head down there on the weekend without reservations and get a nice room for a great price.

I can ell you for sure (since I am working in tourism) that these numbers come from nowhere, but the @ss of some spokesman in some ministery. The increase last year was a joke and and a further increase this year also is.

I can ell you for sure (since I am working in tourism) that these numbers come from nowhere, but the @ss of some spokesman in some ministery. The increase last year was a joke and and a further increase this year also is.

I know a hotel owner in Udon that was saying this year could see him go under due to tourist numbers.

People that actually believe these figures make me wonder if I am in the same Thailand.

Maybe my maths is a bit wobbly but that's 100,000 bucks per tourist

Not wobbly, but he said by 2015. The arrivals should grow, but even if they grow to 25 million, it is still 80,000 baht per person. I suppose he expects all the tourists to fly on THAI or they expect inflation to surge.

Anyways, we have these same 3 threads every year about tourists numbers, occupancy rates at hotels and tourist revenues.

With 15 million visitors in the first 3 quarters and another 5 million expected in the last 'high season' quarter, it must have been high season all year round.

Do they not look at these make believe figures before releasing them.

The problem is they did not have a tab when they were in grade 1 and every thing went down hill from there for them.

Too many cheap package tourists these days. Most of them spend very little.

I guess they simply count the amount of people arriving, but that doesn't mean that they all hang around for the duration and spend all their time here. E.g. Bangkok is probably the best and cheapest place to fly to from UK. Once here then there are loads of cheap flights to neighbouring countries and that's why restaurants and bars have felt the pinch, despite the high numbers.

Even places like Koh Samet have become crowded and much more expensive. It wasn't long ago you could just head down there on the weekend without reservations and get a nice room for a great price.

The fee to enter the island has increased substantially for foreigners among other costs.

Personally I found the beaches on Samet disappointing and polluted by too many uncontrolled stray dogs to be an enticing destination.

There's just something off-putting about that when it comes to a relaxing beach holiday for me.

Many of these 'new arrivals' will be in transit to Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma, all of which are seeing real and tangible increases in tourism.

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

Nope ...!! The Russians have their own ways of getting in here INCOGNITO!! They are not on the consensus ... So that makes up for the difference in numbers ... and that is why everything in Phuket / Pattaya is also now being translated and posted in Russian also ... even the real estate adds have everything translated in Russian now ...

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

To be fair he did say charter flights rather than scheduled flights or buses, taxis, walk in, etc.

No matter !! All the taxis we work with have confirmed that CM was totally dead in Sept and even now Mid OCTOBER .. except for the backpackers who yes have been here in numbers at the 300 -400 Baht hotels ... but not big spenders at all and not good buss for the taxis or songtows at all ..ACCORDING TO THE TAXIS!!

jet ski problems in the resort island of Phuket.

They could stamp that out overnight if they wanted to.

Let's be honest, after the documentary went viral exposing a gun-toting jet ski scammer to the World the whole thing should have been shut down then and there.

Instead they introduced a completely ineffective insurance scheme, swept the issue under the carpet and chased the film-makers out of the country under threat of arrest.

Pathetic.

Too many cheap package tourists these days. Most of them spend very little.

Check out Phuket (Patong in particular of course). Group after group of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and East Europeans wandering around to see the sideshow and take photos of drunken westerners - while the majority of the establishments they pass by sit there without a single customer (often for the whole night). It's a bit of a disturbing trend really.

Gate numbers mean nothing if entry to the field is free and the patrons aren't buying the hotdogs either.

C'mon guys, the figures don't lie ...

I wonder what planes they are using now...!?

Another 5 million tourists (for the rest of the high season) on the "remaining" 900 flights is roughly equivalent to 5500 people per flight??

Or are they coming in suitcases now too?

Nope ...!! The Russians have their own ways of getting in here INCOGNITO!! They are not on the consensus ... So that makes up for the difference in numbers ... and that is why everything in Phuket / Pattaya is also now being translated and posted in Russian also ... even the real estate adds have everything translated in Russian now ...

Best reread the post. It is 900 charter flights. That is over and above their regular flights which I would be willing to bet are in the thousands.

As for people just going on to other countries they might not have to go through customs if they can book their luggage straight through. I know on Bangkok air you don't. When we went to Siem Reap with them we just shipped are luggage straight through with them and the only customs was on the return flight here in Chiang Mai.