Next year, the tourist arrivals of Thailand are expected to increase between 3.75% and 5.8%, as declared by the Tourism Council today. The tourist arrivals are believed to be driven mainly due to the visitors from China.
The tourism sector of Thailand that comprises about 10% of the gross domestic product of the country has continued to witness a certain degree of strength.
This has happened though this region has been a spectacle to political turbulence that includes military coup in 2006 and 2014. Furthermore, the tourist arrivals was adversely impacted to a certain extent on account of some deadly bombings in key resort towns during August 2016. The bombings claimed the lives of four Thai tourists and also injured a large number of foreigners.
Thailand is generally known as a budget-friendly site.
It expects about 3.4 million tourists in the year 2017, as asserted by Ittirit Kinglek, who is the president of the council.
A crackdown had occurred earlier during this year for Chinese travellers. However, even this incident did not have much of a negative impact on tourist arrivals in Thailand.
Ittirit said that the chartered flights from different Chinese cities have slumped but then they are back once more. However, he has also added that from the second quarter, thing would start improving.
This year, the tourism ministry has announced that it expects a record number of 32.4 million visitors. The council has also forecast that nearly about 9.17 million Chinese tourists would be arriving in Thailand the next year. Tourism sector has always been a thriving spot for Thailand that is the second-largest economy of Southeast Asia.
Thailand has decided to mark a year-long period of mourning in the honor of the late king, King Bhumibol Adulyej who had passed away on 13th October.
Though there is mourning period, the military government has instructed that businesses should be not interrupted and should continue as usual.
