According to the latest report of the Asean Tourism Forum, growth in foreign visitors to Thailand is forecast at 9-10% this year.
The Thai government wants to focus on the robust tourism sector of the country which is expected to grow at a rate of about 10% in next five years, in a bid to narrow income disparity.
Weerasak Kohsurat, Tourism and Sports Minister the tourism sector has recorded strong growth over the past decade but is yet to generate income for most local communities or grass-roots people. Mr Weerasak said, the government this year set as one of its priorities to implement a policy to support income distribution to local communities in its best bid to reduce income disparity in the country.
The tax breaks, scheduled to be effective from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2018, will be offered to individual travellers who spend on accommodation, food and drinks, as well as to corporations that organise seminars and meetings at these secondary locations, which welcome fewer than 4 million tourists a year.
Visitors can claim upto 15000 baht in tax deduction those who would spend on accommodation, food and drinks at secondary locations. Companies can claim up to 100% of the cost of seminars and training sessions. With this structure, the government is estimated to lose 200 million baht in revenue.
The ministry is hoping for 37.81 million foreign visitors this year which will be higher by 6.8% than 2017. Also, the revenue from foreign tourists is predicted to reach about 2.02 million baht, making it up by 10% last year.
Tags: asean tourism forum, Thailand
