THAILAND authorities have high hopes that the fighting between Israel and Hamas will not discourage.
Middle eastern visitors from visiting the so-called land of smiles.
The conflict in the Middle East had only a little impact, if any, on Thailand’s tourism sector as the Southeast Asian nation witnessed a rising number of foreign visitors.
This was according to the deputy governor for International Marketing in Europe America Middle East and Africa who is working for the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The goal is to lure up to one million visitors from the Middle East by the end of 2024.
Thailand has welcomed more than 12 million foreign tourists in the first four months of 2024 and has relaxed its visa rules to attract more foreign arrivals.
Thailand aims to hit its target of up to 40 million tourists by the end of 2024 and 80 million tourists by 2027.
Recognizing its crucial role in the nation’s economy, the government put tourism projects on top of its agenda as the sector contributes about 12% to the nation’s $500 billion economy.
Just last week, Thailand’s famous Maya Bay was named the fifth-best beach in the world this year.
The Embassy of Israel recently confirmed that two Thai hostages died under the custody of Hamas. There are now only seven Thai hostages held captive in Gaza.
