Upbeat tourism foreseen in Thai North, Northeast in late 2014

BANGKOK, November 10 (TNA) - The Kasikorn Research Center (KRC) predicts that tourists, mostly Thais, should storm the Thai North and Northeast to experience the cold weather in the last quarter of this year, generating more than 48 billion baht tourism-related revenues. The Bangkok-based research firm estimated on Monday that 33 billion baht, out of the projected 48 billion baht, should be spent in the Thai North alone in the 4th quarter of this year, a 11.5 per cent year-on-year increase, while the rest of about 15.5 billion baht should be spent in the Thai Northeast during the same period, a 10.7 per cent year-on-year increase. The leading Thai private think tank pointed out that Thailand's northern and northeastern regions are popular holiday destinations for tourists, especially during the upcoming New Year Festival, when there will be five official holidays, from December 31, 2014-January 4, 2015. According to KRC, the overall Thai tourism should also pick up in the last quarter of this year, as local operators of tourism-related businesses are intensifying their marketing campaigns, after a slowdown in the domestic tourism during the first nine months of this year, in line with the national economic situation, due to impacts from domestic political problems from late 2013 to mid-2014 and rising costs of living. (TNA)