BANGKOK – Regional competition and continued safety concerns could prevent Thailand from reaching its 2025 goal of 39 million global visitors, the Association of Thai Travel Agents cautions.
ATTA President Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn on Thursday (March 13) stated that since international arrivals would touch 37 million, even higher than the last year’s 35.54 million, the country would be unable to attain its initial goal.
He gave reasons as being multiple hurdles in the development of tourism in Thailand, such as intense competition for others’ holiday spots like Japan, China, and Vietnam, which were promoting their tourism aggressively in order to attract foreign travelers.
“Japan led Thailand in Chinese tourist arrivals last year at 6.98 million, compared to Thailand’s 6.7 million,” Sisdivachr said.
ATTA projects Chinese tourists to Thailand at 7 million this year—well short of the pre-pandemic high of 11.13 million in 2019.
“We may never see more than 10 million Chinese tourists annually again,” he added, citing safety concerns stemming from reports of Chinese and other foreign nationals being kidnapped in Thailand and trafficked to scam operations in neighboring countries.
In addition, China’s economic slowdown and potential trade tensions, and China’s push for local tourism, could further impact Thailand’s ability to accept visitors.
ATTA said February visitors from China dropped to 371,542—15-month low and down by 44.9% year-on-year.
Sisdivachr underlined the urgent need for the Thai government to regain confidence that the country is safe and secure. It is crucial, he said, to enhance law enforcement and deliver a hassle-free travel experience.
He also reiterated the requirement of a well-formulated strategy to drive the tourism sector, including clear development, marketing, and funding policies.
“Making announcement campaigns for tourism is not enough,” he stated. “We need true action plans to develop tourism as a real economic engine of Thailand”-The Nation/ANN
