Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - A senior tourism official said that Thailand hopes to increase its tourism income to between 600 billion...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - A senior tourism official said that Thailand hopes to increase its tourism income to between 600 billion and 700 billion baht ($16 billion and $1.9 billion) by the end of the year. They plan to do this by focusing on high-spending groups like Indian wedding parties and honeymooners.
Thailand is known for its white-sand beaches and lively nightlife. The Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor Siripakorn Cheawsamoot told Reuters this week that Thailand wants to take advantage of "pent-up demand" in the multi-billion dollar Indian wedding industry.
"Data from the last two years showed that many Indian couples got married but couldn't find honeymoon spots, or they put off getting married because they wanted to have their reception overseas, like in Thailand," he said on Tuesday.
From January to August 28, 4.2 million foreign tourists brought in 186 billion baht, and 10 million people are expected to visit the country for the whole year.
The country in Southeast Asia depends a lot on tourism to grow its economy. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of foreign visitors dropped to just 428,000. This is a big change from 2019, when tourism made up 12% of GDP and a record high of nearly 40 million visitors.
Now that most restrictions about pandemics have been lifted, the government wants to make $11 billion in the second half of 2022.
Indian weddings in Thailand can cost between 10 and 30 million baht because they can last up to a week and include everything from planning to food, decorations, and transportation.
About 60% of Indian destination weddings in Thailand were for people who lived in India, while the rest were for Indian families who lived outside of India, he said. Because of this, Thai tourism representatives in Mumbai and New Delhi are making more partnerships with wedding planners.
Siripakron thinks that tourists will spend at least 48,000 baht per trip this year, and he hopes that by 2023, that number will rise to 50,000 baht per trip, thanks to medical tourism and executives who choose to work from home in Thailand.
Starting in October, the government will also change some tourist visas from 15 days to 30 days. This is because travellers are staying longer because flights are expensive and there aren't as many places to stay.
