Visitors in Thai traditional outfits pose for photos at Wat Arun Buddhist temple in Bangkok. — AFP
BANGKOK: The Thai government’s ambitious target of 3.5 trillion baht in total tourism revenue for 2025 is looking increasingly precarious, prompting Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to order a strategic rethink.
Initial hopes hinged on 2.32 trillion baht from the international market, attracting 39 to 40 million foreign tourists, alongside 1.17 trillion baht from 203 million domestic trips.
However, the prime minister has reportedly acknowledged the significant challenges in achieving the international revenue goal. A series of negative factors, most recently the earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar in March, have dented confidence in Thailand’s tourism sector.
In a meeting held on April 11, the prime minister chaired discussions on the state of Thai tourism with the Tourism and Sport Ministry, top brass from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and directors of TAT’s global offices.
She instructed the ministry and TAT to urgently devise methods to push international market earnings to two trillion baht – the same level achieved in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, a record year that saw 39.8 million international arrivals.
Shinawatra had previously championed 2025 as “Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism and Sports Year 2025,” aiming to draw back nearly the same number of foreign tourists as in pre-pandemic 2019, targeting 40 million visitors with increased spending and longer stays.
However, recent figures have been disappointing, compounded by the unfortunate earthquake and building collapse incidents.
“The aim is to get international tourist revenue back to the 2019 level, up from the 1.67 trillion baht achieved in 2024,” she stated, adding, “and we need answers on how to address the issues in the Chinese tourist market and where to find alternative visitors”.
Furthermore, the prime minister called for new initiatives to bolster the market, with a greater emphasis on the luxury segment, requiring suitable high-end products and services.
Focus will also be placed on the health and wellness tourism sector, attracting long-stay visitors for relaxation and retirement, as well as digital nomads to encourage longer stays and increased spending.
Urgent short-term measures to stimulate domestic tourism in both major and secondary cities are also being prioritised to inject more funds into the grassroots economy.
Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanit explained that the meeting involved a review of new key performance indicators and strategies for the latter half of the year, prioritising per-person expenditure over sheer visitor numbers.
“While the overall revenue target for 2025 remains 3.5 trillion baht, with 2.32 trillion baht from overseas visitors and 1.17 trillion baht from Thai tourists, the prime minister has tasked us with first ensuring we reach two trillion baht from the international market.
“Anything beyond that would be a bonus, especially after the earthquake caused a dip during the Songkran festival, although there has been a slight recovery,” he noted.
The target for Chinese tourists, initially set at eight million, has been revised downwards to the 2024 figure of 6.7 million after only 1.33 million arrivals in the first three months of January to March.
The focus will shift towards attracting higher-quality tourists, particularly from the luxury market in Shanghai.
Despite Europe being a popular destination for this demographic, efforts will be made to entice them to Thailand, alongside tapping into other promising markets such as the Middle East to compensate for the shortfall in Chinese visitors. International tourist arrivals from January till April 2025 increased by 0.94% compared to the same period last year. — The Nation/ANN
