TCT says confidence running high

BANGKOK, 29 September 2017: Confidence in Thailand’s tourism is running at an all-time high with the Tourism Council of Thailand claiming the year’s fourth quarter will see the confidence index rise to 103.

Normal business confidence has a benchmark of 100 and the third quarter index according to TCT clocked in at 98.

In its market outlook, presented Wednesday, TCT said quarter three confidence was impacted by concerns over the domestic economy, heavy flooding that disrupted tourism and trade, especially in the northeast region of the country, rising domestic costs and intensified competition in the travel trade. Read more

Air travel dominates with cheap fares

BANGKOK, 28 September 2017: Thailand’s latest tourism statistics through to the end of August indicate that 85.2% of all visits are air arrivals, clocked in at immigration counters in airports, leaving just 13.6% to cross at overland borders and 1.2% to disembark at seaports.

Air travel dominates even for travel from neighbouring countries. Fares are cheap than ever before, while overland bus travel is considered risky and time consuming.

In August alone arrivals by air reached 2,670,430 as opposed to 425,634 by land and 37,347 by sea. Read more

UNWTO: Tourism a runaway success

 

MADRID, 11 September 2017: Destinations worldwide saw a turnover of 598 million international tourists arrivals in the first six months of 2017, some 36 million more than in the same period of 2016, UNWTO estimates in its latest World Tourism Barometer.

Returning a growth of 6%, year-to-date, it represents the strongest increase since 2010 when the increase registered 4%.

Results are underpinned by robust growth in many destinations and a continuation of the recovery for destinations that suffered declines in previous years. Read more

Thai tourism trends positive

BANGKOK, 21 August 2017: Foreign tourist visits to Thailand increase 4.81% in July to reach 3,088,042 according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, permanent secretary Pongpanun Svetarundra.

The top  region was East Asia followed by Europe, South Asia, Americas and the Middle East.

During July, tourist spending generated revenue of THB156,403.03, up 6.16% from the same period last year. Read more

France tops tourism chart

MADRID, 4 August 2017: France retained its position as the world’s favourite tourism destination in 2016, the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) said Wednesday, defying concerns over terror attacks.

The United States came second followed closely by Spain, according to annual figures that the Madrid-based UNWTO normally announces in January, but which were delayed this year.

But although France stayed on top of the tourist arrivals chart by welcoming 82.6 million visitors in 2016, that was a more than 2% drop from the previous year, the figures showed. Read more

Tourism braves the storm

BANGKOK, 19 August 2016: Tourist arrivals through the country’s main gateway, Suvarnabhumi Airport, slowed down between 5% to 11% daily for a six-day period following the bombs attacks in the seven southern provinces 11 to 12 August.

Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Department of Tourism updated the daily tally, Thursday, for the period  13 to 18 August, on its website based on the Immigration Bureau data collected at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand’s main gateway airport.

Tourism Authority of Thailand’s public relations department forwarded PDF charts of the tourist flow to the media for 11 to 18 August. They showed a slight upturn 17 and 18 August in the daily tally of tourist arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok. Read more