Thailand Records 22.3M Visitor Arrivals In 2012; Targets 24.5M In 2013

[webfact]

Thailand Records 22.3 Million Visitor Arrivals in 2012; Targets 24.5 Million in 2013

BANGKOK: -- Thailand achieved record-breaking visitor arrival numbers in 2012, crossing the 22 million mark for the first ever time.

Figures tabulated by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports for January — December 2012 show total arrivals by nationality of 22,303,065, up 15.98% over 2011, a year that was seriously impacted by the major floods to the north of Bangkok.

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Commenting on the performance, TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said, “We are overjoyed to have achieved this result in the year the people of Thailand commemorated the 85th birthday of His Majesty the King. It is also a tribute to the cooperation and creativity of the entire Thai travel and tourism industry for the huge effort that has been made to ensure that travel and tourism remains a leading industry for job creation, distribution of income nationwide and contribution to culture, heritage and environmental preservation.”

The governor said that the primary contributor to this result was the prevalence of global, regional and local peace and stability. “Last year, the world was generally at peace and there were no major geopolitical, economic, environmental or natural disasters and no health pandemics. Travel and tourism can only flourish worldwide if the underlying conditions that support it remain free of disturbance and disruption. That is one of the most important lessons for the entire industry to learn worldwide,” he said.

The highlight of the results was the fact that six countries, five of which are within the Asia Pacific region, are now producing more than one million annual visitor arrivals. These are Malaysia, China, Japan, Korea, India and Russia.

Full story: http://www.asiatrave...dArrivals.shtml

-- ASIATravelTips 2013-01-28

[Minnehaha]

I can recall back in 2003 or so, when Thailand had 14 million visitors. Malaysia was historically the highest represented - border travel. Now TAT is reporting 22 million!

Back in 2003, Chinese and Russians were blips. Now they are top visitors.

Here in Bangkok, the wife and I like to pop in Khaoman Gai Pratunaam, when we pass that district at night for their classic dish. We took an informal count - over the past year we have eaten there 16 times. EVERY time, we shared a table (as is the norm at this packed joint) with Chinese tourists. Some from HK, and some from Taiwan, but most from mainland China. Behind us last night was a table of Russian tourists. Food quality remains stable, thank God.

It is interesting to think about how more tourists affects daily life in a country.

Thai's English skills remain abysmal, for example.

[davejones]

I can recall back in 2003 or so, when Thailand had 14 million visitors. Malaysia was historically the highest represented - border travel. Now TAT is reporting 22 million!

Back in 2003, Chinese and Russians were blips. Now they are top visitors.

Here in Bangkok, the wife and I like to pop in Khaoman Gai Pratunaam, when we pass that district at night for their classic dish. We took an informal count - over the past year we have eaten there 16 times. EVERY time, we shared a table (as is the norm at this packed joint) with Chinese tourists. Some from HK, and some from Taiwan, but most from mainland China. Behind us last night was a table of Russian tourists. Food quality remains stable, thank God.

It is interesting to think about how more tourists affects daily life in a country.

Thai's English skills remain abysmal, for example.

They don't need English skills if visitors are coming from China; they need Chinese skills.

UK and USA get lots of tourists but I don't see any great non-English language skills in those countries either.

[muratremix]

Phuket and Pattaya is flooded with half-naked russian tourists. Not just females though, I saw many russian males walking topless aswell. Someone can get confused about who works in A-go-go and which one is the tourist nowadays in Pattaya.

Increasing number of visits with low income tourists will not help Thai economy at all. We receive more or less same amount of Tourists compared to Thailand in my homecountry. Whenever russian tourist numbers increased, high paying German and north european tourists declined.

What about Thailand? I wonder if same scenario applies here.

[kennedy]

Thankfully, over 22m tourists I'll never meet or see.

[Minnehaha]

I can recall back in 2003 or so, when Thailand had 14 million visitors. Malaysia was historically the highest represented - border travel. Now TAT is reporting 22 million!

Back in 2003, Chinese and Russians were blips. Now they are top visitors.

Here in Bangkok, the wife and I like to pop in Khaoman Gai Pratunaam, when we pass that district at night for their classic dish. We took an informal count - over the past year we have eaten there 16 times. EVERY time, we shared a table (as is the norm at this packed joint) with Chinese tourists. Some from HK, and some from Taiwan, but most from mainland China. Behind us last night was a table of Russian tourists. Food quality remains stable, thank God.

It is interesting to think about how more tourists affects daily life in a country.

Thai's English skills remain abysmal, for example.

They don't need English skills if visitors are coming from China; they need Chinese skills.

UK and USA get lots of tourists but I don't see any great non-English language skills in those countries either.

and how many Russians or Chinese tourists learn Thai before coming to Thailand?

If my inlaws had a family restaurant (which we do) in an area and we had 40% non-Thai customers, we dont waste time teaching staff Chinese or Russian. We teach them English.

[bunuel]

I too am a resident of Pattaya and I agree completely with the second paragraph. Thailand needs to study the art of sustainable tourism, and the meaning of quality as opposed to quantity.

Sustainable tourism development is recognized in world tourism today as the best path for maximizing tourism income while minimizing tourism damage. This means creating upscale markets for special interest travel and limiting downscale mass tourism to zones designed for that purpose, such as Cancun in Mexico. As the poster correctly observes, one cannot mix uoscale and downscale markets in the same place without losing the upscale market. This is not snobbery, but an economic fact of life.

Likewise, mass tourism puts a huge strain on the infrastructure of a destination and should be avoided in destinations not designed to handle it . Pattaya is a good example. Pattaya is now a city with a very fragile power and water grid, and there are already problems with overload on the roads, etc.

The bottom line is that increased numbers of arrivals do not necessarily mean increased income. Let us hope the TAT revise their strategy before they kill the fatted calf. For lessons learned, they can look at Jamaica (example of how not to do things) and Costa Rica ( example of how things should be done).

Tourism can be an important contributor to a developing country's economy. If poorly managed, however, it can create huge social and economic problems, causing the local population to hate all tourists and act accordingly. If the current Russian invasion is not properly managed, we may see a backlash by the Thai population, similar to what one see in once beautiful resorts like Negril in Jamaica, where the only way the locals can get any money from the tourists is to rob them or sell them drugs. And that is hardly sustainable.

in

Phuket and Pattaya is flooded with half-naked russian tourists. Not just females though, I saw many russian males walking topless aswell. Someone can get confused about who works in A-go-go and which one is the tourist nowadays in Pattaya.

Increasing number of visits with low income tourists will not help Thai economy at all. We receive more or less same amount of Tourists compared to Thailand in my homecountry. Whenever russian tourist numbers increased, high paying German and north european tourists declined.

What about Thailand? I wonder if same scenario applies here.

[tongoy]

I'm wondering, if all the stopover "tourists" are counted as well in the Thai statistic. Every time I go to Thailand I see more hotels quite empty, more bars and restaurants closing. How is that possible, if every year the number of tourists is increasing according to the Thai government?

[berg1666]

What % of that 22 million is "resident" farangs popping over the border on visa runs? It must be a fair amount, surely?

[glegolo]

22 millions!! That is something like 61.000 new tourists each and every day throughout the year... People in Pattaya and Jomtien complain that BOTH 2010 and 2011 as well, that it is hard times now in Thailand, and that the tourists has decreased catastroficly..

I wonder! Is the numbers really true,, and is it the same kind of numbers that are floating around what concerns export figures of different commodities....All in the name of keeping the thai baht up in value??? Show how successful Thailand is!!

The lies about those figures has already been exposed and people overall doubt them highly....

I dont know...... 22,3 millions.........

Glegolo

[F4UCorsair]

Doesn't that figure of 22.3 million match exactly, and coincidentally, the forecast by TAT??

Quite extraordinary forecasting, and I bet that in 2013, the number will be exactly, and again coincidentally, 24.5 million.

[FarangTalk]

More nonsense numbers. A 10 million increase from allegedly record numbers in 2010 despite political unrest is just not possible.

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Thaivisa Connect App

[Vinny1967]

What % of that 22 million is "resident" farangs popping over the border on visa runs? It must be a fair amount, surely?

Just thinking the exact same thing

[rheinwiese]

2.5 Million Malaysians??

Wow, that's 8.6% of their entire population of 29 Million.

Impossible, unless you count the daytraders and vendors as tourist arrivals.

Same goes for Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Not to mention the numerous visarunners.

Myself I delivered 6 arrivals for the 2012 stats.

I think a number of 15-16 Mio would be more realistic.

[webfact]

TOURISM

Thailand's tourist arrivals exceed 22 million for first time

BANGKOK: -- More than 22 million tourists visited Thailand last year, up nearly 16 per cent year-on-year, marking a record-high for the kingdom, industry sources said Monday.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 22.3 foreigners visited Thailand in 2012, led by Chinese (2.7 million), Malaysians (2.5 million), Russians (1.3 million), Japanese (1.3 million), Koreans (1.1 million), British (870,164) and Germans (681,566).

"Last year, the world was generally at peace and there were no major geopolitical, economic, environmental or natural disasters and no health pandemics," Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Suraphon Svetasreni said.

Last year was also a relatively sedate one for Thailand, which has witnessed political conflicts over the past six years resulting in street demonstrations in Bangkok and periodic heavy flooding.

Tourism is Thailand’s leading source of foreign exchange. The Tourism Authority projects 24.5 million tourists in 2013.

-- The Nation 2013-01-28

[Pimay1]

TOURISM

Thailand's tourist arrivals exceed 22 million for first time

BANGKOK: -- More than 22 million tourists visited Thailand last year, up nearly 16 per cent year-on-year, marking a record-high for the kingdom, industry sources said Monday.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 22.3 foreigners visited Thailand in 2012, led by Chinese (2.7 million), Malaysians (2.5 million), Russians (1.3 million), Japanese (1.3 million), Koreans (1.1 million), British (870,164) and Germans (681,566).

"Last year, the world was generally at peace and there were no major geopolitical, economic, environmental or natural disasters and no health pandemics," Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Suraphon Svetasreni said.

Last year was also a relatively sedate one for Thailand, which has witnessed political conflicts over the past six years resulting in street demonstrations in Bangkok and periodic heavy flooding.

Tourism is Thailand’s leading source of foreign exchange. The Tourism Authority projects 24.5 million tourists in 2013.

-- The Nation 2013-01-28

I learn something new almost every day from the Nation paper. I never knew before political conflicts could result in periodic heavy flooding. Amazing Nation.

[Payboy]

22.3 Million Visitor Arrivals

Thailand's tourist arrivals exceed 22 million for first time

It's 22 million arrivals - doesn't mean 22 million tourists.

[chooka]

More nonsense numbers. A 10 million increase from allegedly record numbers in 2010 despite political unrest is just not possible.

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Thaivisa Connect App

It is in Thailand

Well apparently.

[chooka]

TOURISM

Thailand's tourist arrivals exceed 22 million for first time

BANGKOK: -- More than 22 million tourists visited Thailand last year, up nearly 16 per cent year-on-year, marking a record-high for the kingdom, industry sources said Monday.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 22.3 foreigners visited Thailand in 2012, led by Chinese (2.7 million), Malaysians (2.5 million), Russians (1.3 million), Japanese (1.3 million), Koreans (1.1 million), British (870,164) and Germans (681,566).

"Last year, the world was generally at peace and there were no major geopolitical, economic, environmental or natural disasters and no health pandemics," Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Suraphon Svetasreni said.

Last year was also a relatively sedate one for Thailand, which has witnessed political conflicts over the past six years resulting in street demonstrations in Bangkok and periodic heavy flooding.

Tourism is Thailand’s leading source of foreign exchange. The Tourism Authority projects 24.5 million tourists in 2013.

-- The Nation 2013-01-28

I learn something new almost every day from the Nation paper. I never knew before political conflicts could result in periodic heavy flooding. Amazing Nation.

I came in and out 13 times so actual figures are just slightly out by a dozen. The actual figures are 22.3M - 12. That is unless they didn't count me at all using a re entry permit. Edited January 28, 2013 by chooka

[jamhar]

Regardless of the number that could be attributed to, lets say, "chronic offenders",

it still means the number of new tourists are going up.

I'm wondering how many exiting tourists there are ))

[lemoncake]

Regardless of the number that could be attributed to, lets say, "chronic offenders",

it still means the number of new tourists are going up.

I'm wondering how many exiting tourists there are ))

Let me put it to you this way, i flew back to Thailand from Australia on 11 January and the airplane was half empty, i had the whole 4 sits to myself, just as many other people

[Payboy]

Many foreigners are known to come again and again in Thailand.

[Pimay1]

No wonder the immigration officers don't smile much. 22.3 million a year = 2,545 arrivals 24/7/365.

[Arkady]

I remember the first Amazing Thailand campaign that targeted 5 million tourists. Keep cramming 'em in and ripping 'em off!

Edited January 28, 2013 by Arkady

[muratremix]

More tourists pouring to Thailand, more mouth to feed, a huge increase in demand of Farang food such as beef, prices goes up. How nice for people settled down in Thailand huh?

[bender92]

I can recall back in 2003 or so, when Thailand had 14 million visitors. Malaysia was historically the highest represented - border travel. Now TAT is reporting 22 million!

Back in 2003, Chinese and Russians were blips. Now they are top visitors.

Here in Bangkok, the wife and I like to pop in Khaoman Gai Pratunaam, when we pass that district at night for their classic dish. We took an informal count - over the past year we have eaten there 16 times. EVERY time, we shared a table (as is the norm at this packed joint) with Chinese tourists. Some from HK, and some from Taiwan, but most from mainland China. Behind us last night was a table of Russian tourists. Food quality remains stable, thank God.

It is interesting to think about how more tourists affects daily life in a country.

Thai's English skills remain abysmal, for example.

They don't need English skills if visitors are coming from China; they need Chinese skills.

UK and USA get lots of tourists but I don't see any great non-English language skills in those countries either.

Actually in the US lots of signs are in Spanish, and our 'visitors' end up staying.

[ozziebloke]

Just wait for respected members Nisa and Chiangmaikelly to come on and argue that this figures are 100% correct, and Thailand has been packed and is just booming with tourists.

There were 8 countries mentioned in the article. China,Malaysia,Russia,Japan,Korea,Britian and Germany which nearly totalled half the Arrivals! That is only 8 countries out of the approximate 190 countries in the world. Why can it not be possible the figure could near be accurate ?

Of course it's possible. But after living here for many years one gets a tad sceptical about numbers put out by government departments (or the TAT, especially). They never attempt to distinguish between genuine tourists, business people, visa runners, Cambodians coming over the border to sell their wares for a day, Malaysians popping over for a quickie & so on.

And don't most of those you quoted spend money in Thailand just as a tourist would? Wether it be a hotel room or a day trip or even a prolonged holiday? what ever the reason for entering Thailand a person needs to spend money once they enter the KIngdom don't they? Apart from the Cambodians as you say!

[ozziebloke]

Lemoncake

what does spending money have to do with distinguishing between genuine tourists, business people, visa runners?

The headline was "Thailand Records 22.3M Visitor Arrivals In 2012;" And any visitor needs to spend money once they enter the Kingdom!</p>

[lemoncake]

Lemoncake

what does spending money have to do with distinguishing between genuine tourists, business people, visa runners?

The headline was "Thailand Records 22.3M Visitor Arrivals In 2012;" And any visitor needs to spend money once they enter the Kingdom!</p>

This thread is NOT about how much money tourism makes or brings but about number of people entering the country.

[ozziebloke]

khunken

"Yes they do spend money - you are correct. The scepticism arises when they set a target & meet it exactly."

Thats just normal politics same any country! But I would still say the figure would be close when you see just 8 countries are nearly half the arrivals