Thailand’s Tourism Ministry Predicts a Record 41.1 Million Visitor for 2019

 

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Minister of Tourism Weerasak Kowsurat has said that the Ministry is predicting the number of tourists coming to Thailand will hit a record 41.1 million in 2019.

Arrivals are projected to climb about 8 percent from last year’s 38.3 million, the Tourism Ministry said in a briefing Monday in Bangkok. To put that in perspective, the flood of arrivals exceeds the population of Canada.

Chinese tourists are returning after a slowdown sparked by a tour boat tragedy that triggered concerns about safety standards. The number of Chinese holidaymakers rose 2.8 percent in December from a year earlier, to 838,634.

Chinese visitors are the top source of foreign receipts in an industry that makes up about a fifth of the economy. Tourism is a key engine of growth, but managing the influx is a challenge amid pressure on the environment as well as clogged international airports.

By Suttinee Yuvejwattana