The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a target of 25 million foreign visitors for 2023, and the agency is confident that it will meet this goal. In the first four months of 2023 alone, TAT expects at least 8 million foreign tourists to visit the country.
According to Tanes Petsuwan, the TAT Deputy Governor for Asia and the South Pacific, tourists from Asia and the South Pacific are expected to make up more than 62% of these visitors, with Malaysian tourists accounting for 3.5 million to 4 million visitors. Additionally, visits from India and South Korea are set to surpass 1 million visitors.
Looking ahead, TAT anticipates at least 5 million Chinese tourists to visit the country in 2023. This estimation is based on the upward trend of about 10,000 Chinese tourist arrivals per day, which is expected to increase to 20,000 tourists per day in the second half of the year.
The hotel industry is also optimistic about the tourism sector, with a strong average room occupancy rate of 80%, despite a twofold increase in room rates before the pandemic. The Thai Hotels Association (THA) said that the recovery of the tourism sector has also allowed certain hotels to raise their room prices as hotels gain confidence in the increasing number of foreign travelers.
TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn has advised tourism business operators to refrain from price wars and instead capitalize on the spending power of foreign tourists who were unable to travel due to the Covid-19 lockdown and restrictions. With the tourism industry showing positive signs of recovery, Thailand is poised to continue welcoming foreign visitors and reaping the economic benefits of a thriving tourism sector.
 has set a target of 25 million foreign visitors for 2023, and the agency is confident that it will meet this goal.){kind=link}