Life is a blessing… because every day there is a chance for happiness. To live life to the fullest, we do not need to put a value to luxury. It is defined by the memories that are priceless instead. And this happiness… it is something you can always find in Thailand.
“Thailand is aiming to be a ‘Quality Leisure Destination’ through ‘Thainess’ with sustainable growth by creating value-added experiences and striking the balance between revenue, community and the environment,” the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said at ATF-2016 in Manila.
The Royal Thai Government recognises the tourism industry as one of its priority economic sectors. Tourism is, of course, a major contributor as a source of foreign exchange earnings and income distribution, especially for the benefit of the rural areas and SMEs (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) as well as the tool for helping the Thai people preserve their culture, environment, history and heritage.
Last year, the Royal Thai Government declared the 2015 Discover Thainess Year. With the full support from the government and the cooperation from both the public and private sectors, Thailand ended the year 2015 with great success.
In 2015, the Thai tourism industry hit the highest record in its history, both in terms of revenue and number of tourist arrivals. According to the preliminary figures of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand received tourism revenue of 1.4 trillion Baht (around US$42 billion) with growth of 23%, and a total number of international visitor arrivals of 29.8 million, an increase of 20% over 2014.
“For this year, Thailand Tourism will be focussing less on the number of visitor arrivals and more on attracting quality tourists – targeting around US466.5 billion in revenue this year,” said Dr Yutnasak Supasorn, Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand. “Of that total, $43 billion will come from international markets and $23.5 billion from domestic travel.
“Our primary focus will be to promote the kingdom as a ‘Quality Leisure Destination through Thainess’. Thailand Tourism is aiming at enhancing the image of Thailand as a quality leisure destination for the quality tourist markets by offering ‘Thainess’ as a unique selling proposition.”
