Tourists sit on top of a sightseeing tour bus while stuck in afternoon traffic in Bangkok on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)
Bangkok: Thailand can lift tourism revenue by about US$12bil by legalising casinos housed within large entertainment complexes and tackle chronic illegal gambling, according to a study.
Average tourist spending may surge 52% to 65,050 baht per trip once the entertainment hubs are built, netting additional earnings of as much as 448.8 billion baht, according to a study by a panel of lawmakers that’s due to be submitted to parliament today. The extra income generated can bolster the country’s gross domestic product growth by 1.16 percentage points, it said.
