Thailand eyes to become tourism hub in ASEAN

BANGKOK, December 29 (TNA) - Thailand has targeted to become a tourism hub in the ASEAN Community (AC) in five main sectors in 2017, when the country's tourism-related revenues are also targeted to reach 2.71 trillion baht, on top of 2.51 trillion baht in 2016. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkura told journalists on Thursday that the target is part of her ministry's 6th tourism prospect report, in which Thailand's tourism-related revenues as high as 2.51 trillion baht totally this year has been included, a 10.93 per cent year-on-year increase. Kobkarn said the Thai Kingdom's tourism-related revenues in 2016 exceed the earlier official target at 2.4 trillion baht, thanks to growing tourists of almost all groups, with Chinese tourists bringing in the largest proportion of tourism-related revenues to Thailand this year at about 439.29 billion baht, followed by Russian and Malaysian tourists. Kobkarn acknowledged that foreign visitors have brought in tourism-related revenues to Thailand as high as 1.64 trillion baht this year, a 12.4 per cent year-on-year increase, while Thais have generated tourism-related revenues to their motherland over 869 billion baht from their domestic trips, a 8.27 per cent year-on-year increase, thanks to various tourism campaigning programs and the government's tourism stimulus measures through tax incentives. For next year, the minister noted that apart from targeting to generate about 2.71 trillion baht tourism-related revenues to the country, her ministry also plans to promote Thailand as a tourism hub in AC in five main areas, including a sports-tourism hub, a healthcare tourism hub, a marine tourism hub, a wedding ceremonial tourism hub and an ASEAN connectivity tourism hub, in which international tourists will have local experiences through a program on following the 70 routes of late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as well as other campaigning programs. According to the minister, her ministry will resort to the digital tourism approach to attract more younger generations of Chinese tourists next year as a marketing strategy to maintain the high number of Chinese tourist arrivals in the country amid growing tourism competition globally. The minister projected that European visitors to Thailand next year should grow by 12 per cent year-on-year, while those from neighboring Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam, known as the CLMV group, should bring in over 100 billion baht tourism-related revenues to the Thai Kingdom. (TNA)