In recent years the tourism was increasingly developed and with its steady growth rate it became the most important source of foreign exchange. Thailand's tourism industry makes up about 6.5 % of the country's GDP. In 1980 there were 1.8 million tourists and by 2005 this had grown to 12 million visitors. In 1987 the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) proclaimed the “Visit Thailand Year 1987” and about 3.5 million tourists were attracted spending more than 2 billion US dollars.
From Bangkok Post, August 23, 2011: "A report by the Tourism and Sports Ministry puts the total number of international tourist arrivals during the first seven months of 2011 at 11 million -- 25% higher than the same period last year, at 8.8 million visitors. The numbers of tourists in 2011 might grow 22% from last year.
The top 10 source countries for visitors are China (975,770), Japan (664,066), Korea (598,672), Russia (578,532), India (552,321), the UK (498,675), Australia (451,537), the USA (405,442), Singapore (391,923) and Germany (369,634)."
The highest spending visitors are from the United Kingdom, followed by Australia, Malaysia, the United States and China.
TAT Tourism Authority of Thailand
These promotions were mainly aimed at people from Europe and the U.S. According to statistics the average length of stay is ten days with about 150 US Dollars being spent per day.
From Bangkok Post, August 23, 2011: "Thai Travel Agent Association head Charoen Wangananot said he was amazed to see double-digit growth in visitor numbers -- the highest growth during the past four decades. Charoen said the growth might be because visitors feel safer now as the political situation here starts to improve. In addition, Thailand still have many types of attractions to suit various types of visitors including a rich culture, diverse nature, shopping and medical packages as well as facilities to host international events and fairs. If Thailand can maintain political stability, the tourism industry will be one of the major sources of income for the country for the next three years, he said."
About 1.5 million people are employed in the tourism industry. The income of this sector is four times more than the profits from rice exports.
Although statistically ten tourists create one new job, there is a risk of over-dependence on the tourist dollar. Pollution, uncontrolled development and selling off their culture are the main issues for the future.
Green Tourism
Thailand 50 Great Green Escapes, by TAT, Bangkok 2010
The Tourist Police can be reached all over Thailand under the number 1155. In certain tourist destinations a Voluntary Tourist Police Team with members from various western countries are available for tourists who have a problem. They also patrol the main tourist streets every evening.
New to t-Globe?
Register for free to get the full power of this web site!
Name
Email
Password
Confirm Password
Registered members will be able to:
use our Interactive t-Maps
see Business Neighborhoods
print a customized PDF Guidebook
get discount coupons for hotels, restaurants and other services
