Overview 2.1 Tourism Overview Thailand is one of the major players in the tourism market, throughout Asia as well as worldwide. In regards to its tourism economy, it is one of the most developed tourism markets in Asia, with many flocking both domestically and worldwide to have a taste of what Thailand has to offer. Thailand is regarded as having everything a traveller world want on their trip, exceptional hospitality, pristine beaches, historical places and eco-attractions, great food all while having great infrastructure and affordable accommodation, making it accessible to a large proportion of travellers of different price ranges. According to Ho, Bangkok, Thailand is the most popular destination in the South Asian region (2018). Thailand offers unique activities that attract different people such cultural tourism which allows travellers to experience the cultural heritage and natural beauty. Increasingly there have been segmentation to what Thailand offers to people, with examples including medical tourism, food tourism, as well as elephant tourism (Netherlands Embassy 2020). 2.2 Tourism contribution to GDP Compared to other countries, tourism in Thailand plays a significant role in the Thai economy. As each year goes by, the contribution to the economy and GDP that tourism has increases. It has been reported that in 2016, Thailand had the 10th fastest growing tourism industry after growing 11%, with the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) stating that over the next decade, the growth per annum in the tourism market would have an average of 6.5% (The Nation 2020). This therefore shows in the GDP contribution, where in February 2019, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC, recently renamed NESDB) reporting that tourism alone accounted for 18.4% of GDP in Thailand, with GDP contribution from tourism increasing from 14.2% in 2015. However, lagging growth in the Thai economy in other sectors such as manufacturing and good exports mean that authorities are more reliant on the tourism sector to do well to make up the difference. That means that investment for infrastructure to support tourism needs to occur, with 7.1% of GDP or 245.5 billion baht already invested into the tourism sector.
2 0 0 72 0 0 82 0 0 92 0 1 02 0 1 12 0 1 22 0 1 32 0 1 42 0 1 52 0 1 62 0 1 72 0 1 80.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 18%17%16% 14% 15%16% 18%18% 20%21%21%22% Thailand's Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP (% of GDP) Source: Knoema 2018 2.3 Domestic and International inbound tourism statistic Per year, more and more people are visiting Thailand, with data showing that 35 million people arrived into the country in 2017, increasing to 38 million in 2018 and increasing further to 40 million in 2019. However, authorities reported that the increase of 4.24% the last year was less than what authorities expected (ThaiWebsites 2020). Breaking down the types of visitors, foreign tourists contribute 1.93 billion baht (Reuters 2020) or $59.98 billion USD, whilst domestic tourists contribute to 950 billion baht to the economy (Bangkok Post 2017). Recent data shows that an increasing number of Chinese tourists are visiting Thailand more than ever before, amounting to 27.5% of total tourists. These tourists spend nearly 544 billion baht alone in 2019. However, recent reports suggest that domestic tourists outnumber foreign tourists, but domestic tourists spend less per day and their trips shorter. Another point is the impact of COVID-19 on tourist numbers in Thailand; as the number of travellers going overseas for recreational activities being non-existent. Thailand’s authorities reported that they are bracing for a 40% reduction in visitors in March-April period, with a minimum 50-60% afterwards in tourists’ numbers (Thepgumpant 2020).
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