DPM Thanasak reports strong tourism figures

 

  

BANGKOK, 19 September 2016 (NNT) – The Deputy Prime Minister has pointed out tourist numbers in the past 8 months have risen consistently to their highest rate in 5 years. 

Deputy Prime Minister Gen Thanasak Patimaprakorn has indicated foreign travelers to Thailand from January through August rose continually to a total of 22.4 million, up 11.83 percent from the same period last year.

 

The latest total is the highest number in the past 5 years and has led authorities to believe the year will end with over 33 million foreign visitors logged and revenue at 1.6 trillion baht.

 

Combined with a projected 800 million baht from domestic tourism, the government is confident it will achieve its 2.4 trillion baht tourism revenue target for the year. 

To further facilitate travelers the government has introduced health insurance packages ranging from basic services to dental work to reproduction with 95 medical institutions now signed on. The state’s Electronic Visa or E-Visa system is also expected to be put into use in the middle of 2017. 

 

-- nnt 2016-09-19

We hate foreigners but we revel in their numbers, and we want more to come. 

Hard to believe this.  Here in Pattaya, there are very few tourists.  It's dead.

 

This only has meaning if it includes revenue contribution into Thailand - just having huge numbers of tourists in and of itself means nothing.

I am sure Deputy P.M. Thanasak and Tourism Minister Kobkarn are on the same page when it comes to tourism numbers. Up, up and away.

8 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

I am sure Deputy P.M. Thanasak and Tourism Minister Kobkarn are on the same page when it comes to tourism numbers. Up, up and away.

Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon.

Don't balloons work on hot air ?

If only one came in they would tell you exactly the same as what they are saying now.  You can't believe a single word a Thai tells you that you can't confirm by your own means.

Just a tsunami of zero baht Chinese tourists flooding the country. 

The Deputy Prime Minister speaks of "foreign travelers" to Thailand.

Foreigners travelling to Thailand does not automatically mean they are tourists. How many foreigners pass through Thai airports without setting foot outside the airport? How many come on business?

Many of them are just passing through on their way home from another destination or transiting while going to another Asian holiday destinations.

Someone should tell him there are other holiday destinations in Asia apart from Thailand. In fact many of them have better and cleaner beaches and are much safer tourist destinations.

The man is living in a dream world and needs to say something to impress The Boss in case he might be reshuffled out of a job.

2 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

The Deputy Prime Minister speaks of "foreign travelers" to Thailand.

Foreigners travelling to Thailand does not automatically mean they are tourists. How many foreigners pass through Thai airports without setting foot outside the airport? How many come on business?

Many of them are just passing through on their way home from another destination or transiting while going to another Asian holiday destinations.

In fact many of them have better and cleaner beaches and are much safer tourist destinations.

The man is living in a dream world and needs to say something to impress The Boss in case he might be reshuffled out of a job.

 

"Someone should tell him there are other holiday destinations in Asia apart from Thailand.".....

Thailand is the centre of global tourism.....didn't you know that?

3 hours ago, Brer Fox said:

The Deputy Prime Minister speaks of "foreign travelers" to Thailand.

Foreigners travelling to Thailand does not automatically mean they are tourists. How many foreigners pass through Thai airports without setting foot outside the airport? How many come on business?

Many of them are just passing through on their way home from another destination or transiting while going to another Asian holiday destinations.

Someone should tell him there are other holiday destinations in Asia apart from Thailand. In fact many of them have better and cleaner beaches and are much safer tourist destinations.

The man is living in a dream world and needs to say something to impress The Boss in case he might be reshuffled out of a job.

That's not likely to happen since Thanasak (Supreme Commander) was Prayuth's boss in gentler times.

Tourism numbers just keep rising and breaking records.  Time to build more resorts and hotels or else they will be sleeping in the streets if numbers continue to rise at this phenomenal pace.  

The arrival figures are indeed impressive, but totally dominated by Chinese visitors (as others have noted above). In fact, for 2016 YTD, there were more visitors from China than from the next five highest countries combined.

 

Apart from the statistics, I was wondering what is implied by the first sentence in the article's final paragraph:

"...To further facilitate travelers the government has introduced health insurance packages ranging from basic services to...reproduction..."!