THAILAND’S Ministry of Tourism is planning to propose extending the visa exemption period for some nationalities to encourage them to stay longer.
20% of foreigners who visited Thailand this year were Europeans and form the second largest group after Asians.
In 2022, the Europeans spent an average of 66,000 baht per trip but their spending has increased to 80,000 baht for this year.
In 2019, 11 million out of 39.9 million visitors who visited Thailand were Europeans.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin promised to prioritize tourism as part of his national policy campaign and focus on building a sustainable economy for Thailand.
Srettha also denied inviting Chinese police for joint patrols in Thailand to attract more visitors from China and build public confidence after the proposal received massive criticism.
In early October, a teenage boy opened fire at one of the most popular shopping malls in Bangkok in early October, killing two people and injuring five others, including two Chinese tourists.
The government announced plans to organize 3,000 events like music concerts, marathons, and other cultural festivities through the next year to lure more foreign tourists.
The government increased its revenue target to 3.5 trillion baht for 2024 and believes Thailand’s tourism sector can fully recover to pre-COVID levels during that period.
