Thailand tourism breaks records with 30 millionth visitor

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced that, as of 5th December, it has welcomed its 30 millionth visitor for 2016, breaking previous tourism records.

Commenting on the achievement, TAT Governor Yuthsak Supasorn stated “this has been an amazing year for tourism in amazing Thailand as shown by the huge numbers of visitors.

“We have reached 30 million and the high season has only just kicked off (as) we know that more people will be coming to enjoy the cool weather and holiday festivities.”

Thailand’s  30 millionth visitor Huang Junyi, arriving from Guanghzhou, China was greeted at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday with a welcoming ceremony co-hosted by TAT, Thai Airways International and True Corporation where she was presented with be two economy-class return tickets for a further visit to Thailand from her original destination, which are valid for a year.

She was also be given a voucher for a five-night stay in one of Thailand’s luxury hotels in Bangkok, Pattaya or Hua Hin as well as a mobile phone with a 4G sim card and seven days of Internet usage and a certificate naming her as ‘Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor – The Amazing, Smashing Success’.

In 2016, Thailand is projecting total international tourism revenue of 1.62 trillion Baht (US$ 46 billion), representing a year-on-year increase of 11.68% over 2015.

To boost tourism numbers, various initiatives have been put in place to encourage tourists to visit and spend.

This includes the waiver of tourist visa fees for visitors from 19 countries from 1st December 2016 to 28th February 2017, and the price of visas issued on arrival will be halved.

To encourage more domestic travel, a long New Year holiday of four days including 31st December 2016 and 1st to 3rd January 2017, has been confirmed. 

Image: Chinese tourisy on one of Phuket's beaches. Courtesy of Tourism Authority of Thailand.

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