Thailand targets 21.7 million foreign tourists in June-December

BANGKOK, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is aiming to attract 21.7 million foreign tourists during June to December after receiving over 15 million in the first five months of this year, Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanich said on Friday, in an ambitious move to further spur the economy.

The Thai government earlier this week raised its 2024 inbound tourist target to 36.7 million, 1 million higher than the previous expectation, to help boost the Southeast Asian country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 3 percent, along with an acceleration in government spending and public investment.

With urgent policies to enhance the potential of secondary tourism provinces and promote year-round destinations, the kingdom is striving to achieve a tourism receipt target of 3.5 trillion baht (about 95.42 billion U.S. dollars) this year, even during the low season from June to September, when visitor numbers typically decline, Sermsak told a news conference.

According to the ministry's data, over 15.54 million foreign tourists arrived in Thailand as of last week, representing a 37 percent year-on-year increase. Chinese visitors made up the largest source market, with more than 3 million arrivals, followed by those from Malaysia and India.

In pre-pandemic 2019, Thailand welcomed a record 39.9 million foreign arrivals, generating 1.91 trillion baht (about 52 billion dollars) in revenue. Tourism, the key driver of the nation's economic growth, accounts for about 12 percent of its GDP.■