Sigh of relief for the Land of Smiles. The threshold of 10 million visitors has just been exceeded, confirming the recovery of tourism.
On December 10, passengers from Saudi Arabian Airlines were greeted with great fanfare at Bangkok airport. Saturday’s flight lifted Thailand to the milestone of 10 million visitors, authorities said. For the occasion, dancers and traditional drummers were on hand. Representatives of the Tourism Authority presented flowers, gift certificates and tickets to a water park to a Saudi couple. This new stage of 10 million visitors since the beginning of the year shows that tourism, a key sector for the kingdom, has largely resumed. It still remains far from its pre-pandemic level.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha hailed the resilience of entrepreneurs in the country’s tourism and hospitality sector. “The sky is open“, he welcomed in a speech. “We would like to build confidence that Thailand remains one of the (main) tourist destinations for people around the world“, he added.
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Tourism remains below its pre-Covid level
The Land of Smiles will therefore welcome just over ten million visitors this year, a substantial jump from the 427,000 tourists received in 2021, at the height of restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Arriving passengers were thrilled to discover the wonders of the kingdom. The number of visitors still remains below the pre-pandemic level. In 2019, nearly 40 million traveled to the kingdom. The decline in tourism is causing a loss of income for the struggling Thai economy, which is posting a growth rate lower than that of its neighbors in Southeast Asia.
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“There is still a lot of room for improvement, mainly with tourists coming from Asia-Pacific“, explained to AFP Marisa Sukosol. The president of the Thai Hotel Association (THA) is particularly hoping for signs of openness from China, whose strict “zero Covid” policy deprives Thailand of around ten million visitors a year – the number of Chinese in went there in 2019, by far the most represented nationality. “There is no complacency. The world remains unstable, we must remain cautious“said Marisa Sukosol. Authorities expect 23 million visitors in 2023, which is expected to bring more than 32 billion euros to the Thai economy, according to figures from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC).