Thailand waits for its 1 millionth foreign visitor; pushes for 80 million domestic trips by end of H1

There had been an influx of tourists since Thailand scrapped the Test & Go programme and other entry requirements on 1 May

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is expecting its one-millionth foreign visitor by the end of May, according to the Thaiger. 

As of 11 May, 966,686 international tourists had visited Thailand this year. In contrast to that, only 428,000 foreigners visited Thailand in the entirety of 2021.

The TAT also plans to push for 80 million domestic trips in H1 2022 as the downward trend in new COVID cases helps rebuild local travel sentiment, as reported by the Bangkok Post.

“The TAT aims to tally 40-50 million domestic trips in the second quarter, which will help secure 80 million trips in the first six months and keep the goal for the whole year of 160 million trips in sight,” said Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT deputy governor for domestic marketing.

Local tourists made 28.8 million trips in the first quarter, down 67.5 percent year-on-year, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry, with tourism income down 63.8 percent to THB144 billion (USD4.2 billion).

More: Thailand to fully reopen on 1 May, hopes to attract more Malaysian, Indian & Chinese tourists

By Q3, a 300-baht tourism fee will be collected using the Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF) system implemented by airlines, according to another report in the Bangkok Post. This followed the concerns raised regarding the budget for the system and manpower to handle the process, as they are still dealing with the aftermath of the pandemic.

“The tourism fee is in line with the revised National Tourism Policy Act of 2008, which granted permission to set up the fund from the fees collected from foreign visitors. The fund will be used to develop tourist sites and offer tourists insurance,” said Chote Trachu, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

The fee will also serve as a crutch when tourists are faced with accidents, sudden illnesses, and political unrest during their visit.

There had been an influx of tourists since Thailand scrapped the Test & Go programme and other entry requirements on 1 May. Despite this, however, the numbers do not come close to pre-pandemic levels, where approximately 110,000 tourists were arriving daily — around 3.3 million per month.

The Property Report editors wrote this article. For more information, email: [email protected].