28 million tourists expected to visit Thailand this year
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Feb 2 -- Despite the ongoing enforcement of martial law, many foreigners seem to better understand the situation in Thailand and the number of foreigners visiting the kingdom in 2015 is expected to rise to 28 million, said Charoen Wangananont, secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA).

Mr Charoen said the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand this year should increase from about 26 million last year as the Tourism Authority of Thailand organised the ‘2015 Discover Thainess Year’ in January and the government wants to focus on quality rather than quantity of tourists visiting the country.

What tourist industry operators want to see is a calm domestic political situation for the next five years, with the law being fully enforced, he said.

Martial law can be lifted in six months or before the next general election is held, said Mr Charoen, adding that this could further help boosting the industry.

Mr Charoen said he is optimistic that the number of tourists visiting Thailand this year would increase as tourist business operators held a roadshow in Indonesia, inviting its more than 260 million population to visit Thailand.

Chinese tourists currently rank first with the largest number of tourists visiting Thailand, followed by Malaysian, Japanese, Russian, and South Korean. British and German tourists form the largest number from Europe visiting the kingdom. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2015-02-02

But how long will they stay & how much will they spend? Those are much more important numbers.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by Keesters

Just more HYPE.

Better stop closing down all those brothels then.

That's gonna be a whole lot of Cheap Chinese coming here.

Mostly Russians with wheelbarrow loads of rubl es heading for sunny Pattaya

That's gonna be a whole lot of Cheap Chinese coming here.

Is that one step up from a whole lot of Cheap Charlies?

_{Why not just round it up to 30 million. Sounds so much better.}

I think the numbers will be relying on tourists from PRC, God help us. Flew out of DM on Friday to Penang ,at Midday , never seen DM look so empty

Flew back into DM from Penang yesterday , 3,30PM ish. There were 3 flights in from PRC around that time and the place was rammed.

"28 million tourists expected..."

Why not go whole hog with an impressive 30M, it's as arbitrary as any other figure they come up with?

Has anyone ever seriously suggested that the employees of TAT be drug tested?

" Despite the ongoing enforcement of martial law, many foreigners seem to better understand the situation in Thailand and the number of foreigners visiting the kingdom in 2015 is expected to rise to 28 million, said Charoen Wangananont, secretary-general of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA)."

That's because the "many foreigners" understand Thailand as being Phuket, Pattaya, and other destinations catered to tourists. They don't give a damn who is running the country as long as they get their sun, bar girls, and manufactured peace and quiet.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by jaltsc

" K. Charoen ".

' yes nurse ? "

' time for your medication. "

Now you know what is "attitude adjustment"I remember TAT said a few months ago Prayuth must lift the ML if not Thailand will loose tourists

That's gonna be a whole lot of Cheap Chinese coming here.

Is that one step up from a whole lot of Cheap Charlies?

They are a variant, the Cheap Chinese Charlie's, CCC for short, are to be targeted by TAT this year, which they call the year of the CCC

I smell disappointment coming.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by englishoak

I will have to wait till TAT confirms this before I

will believe it

regards Worgeordie

They have to come out with high figures so they keep their jobs. It is the same old rubbish they come out with every time there is upheaval in this country.

Me , and I suspect a few million others do not really care how many tourists are coming here.

By stating this I would like to know , (1) where do they get the figures from. (2) Do they think anybody really believes this. (3) What do they hope to achieve by reporting this.

Edited February 2, 201511 yr by NE1

Thai tourism operators projects rise in tourists from China of about 5.6 mn this year should help offset the drop in Russian tourists. /The Nation

They have to come out with high figures so they keep their jobs. It is the same old rubbish they come out with every time there is upheaval in this country.

Me , and I suspect a few million others do not really care how many tourists are coming here.

By stating this I would like to know , (1) where do they get the figures from. (2) Do they think anybody really believes this. (3) What do they hope to achieve by reporting this.

(1) where do they get the figures from. Out of thin air.

(2) Do they think anybody really believes this Apparently TAT does, so that's all that counts.

(3) What do they hope to achieve by reporting this. It's the "feel good sensation" they enjoy.

"Mr Charoen said the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand this year should increase from about 26 million last year [to 28 million in 2015] as the Tourism Authority of Thailand organised the ‘2015 Discover Thainess Year’ in January and the government wants to focus on quality rather than quantity of tourists..."

Somehow I read a contradiction here.

Or perhaps the good man intended to say, "the number of quality tourists will increase from 26 million in 2014 to 28 million in 2015".

On the other hand, what's with all that whining about allegedly steeply declining tourist numbers that we read about on more than one occasion in the past couple of months? Can you finally make up your mind, please?

yet I do see a pattern here: At the beginning of each year some "official" blares out that visitor numbers are going to skyrocket. Then, towards the end of the same year, more "officials" bemoan the apparent decline in visitor numbers.

"What tourist industry operators want to see is a calm domestic political situation for the next five years"

i hope he is not saying 5 years to the election

With bombs going off at the Siam Paragon? It was in all international newspapers allready. Also Thailand is far too expensive due to the high Baht and all the extra costs (read scams).

"Mr Charoen said the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand this year should increase from about 26 million last year [to 28 million in 2015] as the Tourism Authority of Thailand organised the ‘2015 Discover Thainess Year’ in January and the government wants to focus on quality rather than quantity of tourists..."

Somehow I read a contradiction here.

Or perhaps the good man intended to say, "the number of quality tourists will increase from 26 million in 2014 to 28 million in 2015".

On the other hand, what's with all that whining about allegedly steeply declining tourist numbers that we read about on more than one occasion in the past couple of months? Can you finally make up your mind, please?

yet I do see a pattern here: At the beginning of each year some "official" blares out that visitor numbers are going to skyrocket. Then, towards the end of the same year, more "officials" bemoan the apparent decline in visitor numbers.

They don't bemoan. They lay blame on someone or something. Always!

That's gonna be a whole lot of Cheap Chinese coming here.

Is that one step up from a whole lot of Cheap Charlies?

I think its one step DOWN

Bravo TAT. Only last night, after the Siam bomb incident, some poster predicted that TAT would have a rosy announcement very soon.

And right on cue, TAT announces a rosy picture of tourist for 2015.

many foreigners seem to better understand the situation in Thailand

first we claim that other governments 'understand' the 'situation' in Thailand.

When it becomes clear that is not true, we then claim that 'tourists' understand the situation in Thailand.

Good job guys.... Keep it up.

"What tourist industry operators want to see is a calm domestic political situation for the next five years"

i hope he is not saying 5 years to the election

the news for the last couple of weeks has been riding that wave...

Lets say the 28 million figure is accurate. Taking 150 people as the average plane load thats 511 flights full of tourists every day for a year !

If 20 % of tourists are cheap charlie Chinese thats about 100 plane loads a day into Swampy and Phuket.