Thailand likely to earn more from tourism, meet economic growth target

BANGKOK, February 13 (TNA) - Thailand is expected to earn more tourism-related revenues in 2015, when the national economic growth rate is also foreseen to meet the government's target. The Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC) predicted on Friday that Thailand should earn more than 772 billion baht tourism-related revenues this year, up from about 705 billion baht last year, thanks to the government's "12 Cities You Cant's Say NO To" programme, which is part of its Discover Thainess 2015 campaign, coupled with tax incentives to stimulate the domestic tourism. KRC projected that Thai provinces included in the "12 Cities, You Cant's Say NO To" programme, comprising Lampang, Nan, Phetchabun, Loei, Samut Songkram, Ratchaburi, Trat, Chanthaburi, Chumpon, Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat, should earn more tourism-related revenues by about 3.5 billion baht this year. According to the leading Thai private think tank, the highest growth in domestic tourism should be seen in the northern, northeastern and southern regions, which account for almost half of the overall Thai tourism market. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance forecast that Thailand's economic growth should reach 4 per cent year-on-year on average this year as targeted, boosted by tax incentives offered to business operators in new special border economic zones and the restructuring of tax systems. (TNA)