Tourism in Thailand Rebounding, Seeing 50K-60K Tourist Arrivals Daily

Thailand’s tourism recovery is expected to quicken after Christmas due to the absence of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Wilfred Fan, chief commercial officer at Klook, a travel and experiences platform, said Singapore’s recovery rate was among the best, reaching 85% in October. Malaysia’s recovery rate was 90%.

Singapore has more flight connections to meet tourism demand than Thailand, which lacks long-haul flights, said Mr. Fan.

According to Klook’s business outlook, the number of visitors booking experiences in Thailand during the third quarter was 61% lower than before the pandemic. Before Covid-19, most bookings came from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Since the pandemic, these countries have faced severe border restrictions.

Mr. Fan said travelers must follow the travel restrictions, practices, and rules of the countries they visit as Covid variants spread.

He said travelers should be given clear information about the country’s public health system or medical services and how to treat Covid infections while traveling.

Booking.com‘s regional manager for partner services, Michelle Gao, said its survey of 24,000 respondents in 32 countries found travel trends in 2023 will shift towards group travel, including family and friends.

75% of mostly younger respondents plan to seek local authenticity. This year’s spending was 34% higher than in 2019.

60% of respondents use a mobile app to book travel services, according to Ms. Gao. Because of travel restrictions, respondents prefer more preparation time.

More Russians are traveling to Thailand

Tourism of Thailand (TAT) said that Thailand had 9.4 million foreign tourists from January to November 2022 and should see at least ten million for the full year.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the country is seeing 50,000 to 60,000 foreign tourists per day during high season.

So far this year, 1.5 million tourists have arrived from Malaysia, he said. More Russians are traveling to Thailand to escape the cold, he said.

While Russia isn’t among the top 5 source markets, the number of tourists had risen since October, when direct flights to Bangkok and Phuket began. Before the pandemic, Russia had 2 million annual visitors.

Tourism accounts for 18% of direct and indirect GDP, making it a key driver of economic growth. The Bank of Thailand predicts 10.5 million foreign arrivals this year, 22 million in 2023, and 34 million in 2024.

Compared to 428,000 last year and 40 million in 2019, before the pandemic.