Thailand attracts domestic tourists.

According to Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, foreigners living and working in Thailand are unable to return home. Therefore, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports has decided to stimulate domestic tourism by targeting foreigners in Thailand. Additionally, travel companies will be encouraged to design customized tour packages specifically for this group. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hopes the tourism sector will benefit by approximately 10 billion baht (over US$320 million) from this tourism package for foreigners.

TAT Director-General Yuthasak Supasorn said that TAT will issue special cards for foreigners so they can enjoy discounts at accommodations and tourist attractions. Mr. Yuthasak said that foreigners living in Thailand deserve to be treated like locals, but they often face price discrimination, for example, having to buy entrance tickets to local tourist attractions at prices that are sometimes up to 10 times higher than for locals.

In the first six months of 2020, the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand stood at 6.69 million, a 66% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) forecasts that the number of foreign tourists to this Southeast Asian nation will plummet to 7 million, down from a record 39.8 million in 2019, if Thailand remains closed in the fourth quarter of 2020. Last year, spending by foreign tourists accounted for 11.4% of Thailand's GDP. In June 2019 alone, Thailand welcomed 3.05 million foreign tourists, with spending estimated at 131 billion baht.

Huong Thao