Growing Thai tourism

BANGKOK, June 16 (TNA) - Thailand has attracted some 20 million international tourists since November 2014, expectedly earning the Kingdom about 2.2 trillion baht tourism-related revenues as earlier targeted. Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul told journalists of the update on Tuesday, confirming that the Thai tourism has not been affected by the ongoing spreading of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in some overseas areas. Kobkarn said most of Thailand's tourism-related revenues since late last year, or about 1.4 trillion baht, have come from foreign tourist arrivals, while the rest have come from Thai tourists. In response to the growing number of Singapore tourist arrivals in Phuket Province, the tourism and sports minister noted that her ministry eyes to cooperate with the private sector to develop a deep seaport in the southern Andaman resort province to serve cruise ships carrying Singapore travellers to the Thai coastal area. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health's Department of Disease Control has intensified measures to prevent any outbreak of MERS in Thailand, including instructing tour companies to particularly observe tourists from affected areas, including the Middle East and South Korea, and have their staff wear face masks. Updated reports on Tuesday afternoon said an elderly German man died from MERS after returning from the Middle East, while the death toll from the deadly virus in South Korea has risen to 19 out of a total of 154 confirmed patients since May 20. (TNA)