Thailand to see 34-35 m foreign visitors in 2017

Bangkok (Reuters): Tropical Thailand will see 34 million to 35 million foreign visitors in 2017, the country’s tourism authority said on Wednesday, with revenue from foreign visitors expected to rise.

Thailand has long been a popular tourism destination and its tourism industry has performed well despite years of political turbulence.

“For tourist numbers we think it will be around 34 to 35 million foreign visitors this year,” Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), told Reuters.

The governor added that revenue was expected at 1.8 trillion baht ($50.7 billion) in 2017, up from 1.64 trillion in 2016, driven by spending from European visitors.

The TAT’s forecast matches one given by the government this week.

Deputy Prime Minister Thanasak Patimaprakorn said on Monday that Thailand expects revenue from foreign tourists to rise 8.5% to 1.78 trillion baht this year because of an improved outlook for global tourism.

Last year, Thailand had 32.6 million visitors, a rise of nearly 9% from a year earlier.