Thailand revises down tourism income target for 2017

The tourism agency is cutting its income projection for local tourism from 1 trillion baht (US$28.5 billion) to 950 billion baht (US$27.1 billion), and revenue from the sector from 2.89 trillion baht (US$82.5 billion) to 2.84 trillion baht (US$81.1 billion). 

It will put more focus on quality-tourism promotion campaigns in 2017. 

It expects 10.8 million Chinese tourists to visit the country next year, up 3.8 percent from this year, which should lead to a 574 billion baht (US$16.4 billion) income, up 9.1% from this year. 

The agency will also focus more on the ASEAN market. It expects to welcome 9.3-10 million ASEAN tourists in 2017, generating some 292 billion baht (US$8.3 billion), a rise of 11.3%. 

Australia will pose the greatest challenge for the TAT next year because the value of the Australian dollar has fallen by 30% and the number of low-cost flights between Australia and Indonesia’s Bali has surged. 

The number of Australian visitors to Thailand is forecast to drop in the second half of this year.