More tourists to Thailand
Over 70 Thailand-based travel agencies joined with TAT at last week’s four-day Arabian Travel Mart 2007 held in Dubai to present their services to travel trade from the Gulf region. The event “focused on health tourism, covering medical and spa treatment services to attract high-end tourist groups from the Middle East”, said TAT governor Phornsiri Manoharn.
Last year, total arrivals into Thailand from the Middle East were 392,416, up 34% from 2005, while arrivals from East Asia were down 8% to 1.14 million.
The first quarter of 2007 also saw a 10% drop in Japanese arrivals into the country due to concerns regarding safety and the volatility of the baht.
TAT said revenue from foreign tourism earned almost 450 billion baht last year, and is expected to bring in 547 billion baht this year, a significant contribution to Thailand’s economy. At the event Phornsiri also revealed future promotional activities scheduled to entice the tourism industry will include an additional ten road shows focusing on emerging markets such as Russia, Eastern Europe and India.
The TAT is also preparing for the 2008 Pacific Asia Travel Association, hosted by Thailand, which is expected to attract hundreds of representatives’ from regional countries.
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