Thai tourism targeted to grow by 10% annually

BANGKOK, July 3 (TNA) -The state-run Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is working out a new strategy to boost the domestic tourism to grow by about 10 per cent year-on-year over the next couple of years. TAT Board Chairman Tosaporn Sirisamphan Chaired a meeting of TAT executives, including heads of TAT offices in foreign economies worldwide, in Bangkok on Tuesday to lay out the new strategy. Tosaporn said that the domestic tourism is a key mechanism to help distribute income to local communities and reduce economic and social disparity, while also helping stimulate the national economic growth. Tosaporn suggested that TAT explore and develop new potential tourist destinations to draw in both Thai and foreign tourists, along with carrying on promoting existing wellknown tourist sites in all Thai regions. Meanwhile, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told journalists that under the new strategy, TAT targets that the domestic tourism should grow by 10 per cent year-on-year over the next couple of years in terms of the total tourism revenue earned by the Thai Kingdom, or from about 3.38 trillion baht in 2019 to about 3.72 trillion baht and about 4 trillion baht in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The TAT governor acknowledged if the revenue targets are achieved, Thailand will be on a world list of top five countries that earn the most tourism revenues. ( TNA)