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THAI Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is confident his country will receive more than 30 million foreign tourist arrivals this year as the economically vital tourism sector picks up steam. This was conveyed by a government spokesman on Tuesday (02/07).
Chan-o-cha has instructed relevant agencies to facilitate visitors with travel and ensure their safety, spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said in a briefing. Initially, the government predicted more than 20 million foreign tourists this year and later increased to 28 million.
“Recently, the prime minister believes the number of tourists will even exceed 30 million,” Anucha said.
The latest projections follow the reopening of the Chinese border and the return of Chinese tourists. In 2022, Thailand beat its tourism target with 11.15 million foreign visitors, jumping from only about 428,000 the previous year when COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions were in place.
In the pre-pandemic period, Thailand saw a record of nearly 40 million foreign tourists, who spent 1.91 trillion baht. [sources/photo special]
