Latest news with #Thapanee
Bangkok Post
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Tourism body estimates revenue to miss B3tn target
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that tourism revenue this year will reach 2.87 trillion baht, a shortfall from the 3-trillion-baht target due to the sluggish Chinese market and global uncertainties, but it still anticipates 7% growth to 3 trillion baht in 2026. Meanwhile, the Tourism and Sports Ministry has decided to start collecting the 300-baht tourism tax next year rather than this year, in order to avoid unfavourable travel sentiment. The agency held the TAT Action Plan 2026 meeting on Monday, which gathered 43 domestic and 28 overseas TAT offices to plot the direction for next year. TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said Thai tourism this year could be described as a rollercoaster ride, as it has been facing a high level of volatility. While large markets like China have been hampered by safety concerns, the agency has had to seek other prospective markets, such as the Middle East, and attempt to increase their spending in order to fulfill the market for the remainder of the year. She said some European markets with high levels of spending are also predicted to record 1 million visitors this year, citing the UK, France and Germany. The TAT anticipates it will maintain overall revenue at 2.87 trillion baht for this year. It will boost the number of foreign arrivals to no less than 35.5 million — the same level as 2024 — earning 1.77 trillion baht, while domestic trips should contribute at least 1.1 trillion baht. Ms Thapanee said the stimulus package for chartered flights, including those from China, and co-promotions with commercial flights with airlines globally would help restore the international markets to some extent. She said that in 2026 the TAT will emphasise driving tourism value and spending over volume. It targets at least 7% revenue growth year-on-year or at least 3 trillion baht in 2026, which would reach the same level recorded in 2019. She said the agency would pinpoint the segments with highest potential and put more effort into persuading them to visit Thailand, as well as enhancing the country's image in terms of safety while building Thailand as a trusted destination. Driving sustainable tourism, improving the tourism supply side and promoting soft power are also key areas it will focus on. Jakkaphon Tangsutthitham, vice-minister of tourism, said Thailand needs to adapt to compete in the global situation where geopolitical uncertainty and severe competition in tourism persist in this region. Amid these unfavourable conditions, the tourism fee collection is not suitable for this year. The scheme might be delayed until the second or third quarter of 2026.
Bangkok Post
14-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Thailand eyes Middle East market to make up for Chinese tourists
Thailand aims to boost tourist arrivals and spending from the Middle East and Southeast Asia to help offset declining revenue largely caused by a drop in visitors from China. 'The Middle East market is a supporting factor helping to boost tourism revenue as it currently has a growth of about 17% to 18%,' Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Thapanee Kiatpaibool said on Monday. 'We need to increase the volume of arrivals from the Middle East and airlines.' The Tourism Authority lowered its 2025 foreign arrival forecast to 35 million, down from 40 million, due to weaker-than-expected Chinese tourism. Total revenue is projected at about 2.8 trillion baht ($86 billion), consisting of 1.6 trillion baht from foreign visitors and the rest coming from domestic travellers. China sent 2.3 million visitors to Thailand in the first half of 2025, down from 3.4 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The decline is linked to safety concerns. News of Chinese actor Wang Xing's kidnapping to Myanmar through Thailand and his subsequent rescue prompted a wave of Lunar New Year trip cancellations by mainland travellers. Attracting Chinese tourists remains a priority, but the agency is also targeting other markets, Ms Thapanee said. Oceania and Southeast Asia are seen as pivotal for boosting demand and offsetting the drop in Chinese visitors. In 2026, the agency plans a 'value over volume' strategy, aiming for a 7% revenue increase by attracting higher-spending tourists with a lower environmental impact, Ms Thapanee said. The tourism industry makes up about 12% of Thailand's gross domestic product. Year-to-date tourist arrivals to Thailand totalled 17.2 million as of July 6, down 5.1% from the same period a year ago. Tourism generated 794.7 billion baht of revenue in the period, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Business Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Thailand eyes Middle East market to make up for Chinese tourists
[BANGKOK] Thailand aims to boost tourist arrivals and spending from the Middle East and South-east Asia to help offset declining revenue largely caused by a drop in visitors from China. 'The Middle East market is a supporting factor helping to boost tourism revenue as it currently has a growth of about 17 per cent to 18 per cent,' Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Thapanee Khiatpaibool said on Monday (Jul 14). 'We need to increase the volume of arrivals from the Middle East and airlines.' The Tourism Authority lowered its 2025 foreign arrival forecast to 35 million, down from 40 million, due to weaker-than-expected Chinese tourism. Total revenue is projected at about 2.8 trillion baht (S$111 billion), consisting of 1.6 trillion baht from foreign visitors and the rest coming from domestic travellers. China sent 2.3 million visitors to Thailand in the first half of 2025, down from 3.4 million a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The decline is linked to safety concerns. News of Chinese actor Wang Xing's kidnapping to Myanmar through Thailand and his subsequent rescue prompted a wave of Chinese New Year trip cancellations by mainland travellers. Attracting Chinese tourists remains a priority, but the agency is also targeting other markets, Thapanee said. Oceania and South-east Asia are seen as pivotal for boosting demand and offsetting the drop in Chinese visitors. In 2026, the agency plans a 'value over volume' strategy, aiming for a 7 per cent revenue increase by attracting higher-spending tourists with a lower environmental impact, Thapanee said. The tourism industry makes up about 12 per cent of Thailand's gross domestic product. Year-to-date tourist arrivals to Thailand totalled 17.2 million as of Jul 6, down 5.1 per cent from the same period a year ago. Tourism generated 794.7 billion baht of revenue in the period, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. BLOOMBERG
Time Out
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Chonburi confirmed as Tomorrowland's Thai home
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) confirms that Chonburi will host the legendary Belgian-born music festival when it makes its full-scale Asian debut in December 2026 – the perfect time for an outdoor celebration with cooler weather. That's right: three full days of music, fantasy stages and EDM madness by the sea. Chonburi, home to previous large-scale events like Rolling Loud Thailand, was handpicked for its capacity, convenient access and track record of hosting successful international music festivals. Located just a short drive from Bangkok, the province is well-connected via major highways and airports including U-Tapao International Airport and both Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang which make it easy for partygoers flying in from around the world. The event site itself sits close to the coast with the area privately owned and currently under preparation for the mega-scale production. Surrounding communities and hotels are expected to have a substantial impact in accommodating the tens of thousands expected tourists to attend. TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool shares that the partnership with Tomorrowland spans five years and the economic impact is expected to reach the billions of baht. She also reveals plans to bring not just the main event, but also Tomorrowland's Event Academy model to Thailand – similar to what exists in Belgium. 'This is more than just a festival,' said Thapanee. 'It's an immersive experience that will elevate Thailand's global reputation in music tourism.'
Bangkok Post
02-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Bugs being fixed in travel subsidy sign-up system
Lessons learned from previous travel subsidy schemes that cost the government 2.3 billion baht due to fraud have the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) defending the complicated registration process for the latest programme. The agency has been working on fixing problems that led to crashes on the first day of registrations on Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening, it was still deciding whether it would have to suspend registrations, in which case it would inform the public, said TAT governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool. The TAT has also pledged to regulate appropriate room prices and guard against overcharging by hoteliers during the low-season domestic travel promotion period. The agency apologised on Wednesday for glitches in registrations for the 1.76-billion-baht co-payment scheme, which subsidises hotel rooms for domestic tourists, offering 500,000 room nights in total. Ms Thapanee said the agency had changed from using the Pao Tang application managed by Krungthai Bank in the previous scheme to its own app — Amazing Thailand — to establish data ownership and tighten security checks through verification on the state-owned ThaID app. She said the two apps could help enhance security, allowing the TAT to assure the public that registrants' personal data is protected according to national standards. According to the TAT, the new system was developed by Raventure Co, which was established in 2023. The company said its executives had experience in developing government apps, including the Mor Prom vaccination information service during the pandemic. Ms Thapanee said the registration process, which has been heavily criticised for its complexity, is needed to avoid large losses from fraud, as occurred in the past four phases of the 'We Travel Together' scheme. Since the subsidy programme was first launched during the pandemic, a total of 1,489 fraud complaints have been filed in connection with bogus bookings to claim subsidies. Of the total, 1,411 are still under investigation and only 38 have been concluded. The unresolved fraud cases caused roughly 2.34 billion baht in damage. Ms Thapanee said the major bottleneck has been access to the ThaID app, which can accommodate only 100 visitors per second. To eliminate these obstacles, the developer has bypassed the process with ThaID at the beginning. Instead, tourists will be required to verify their identity via ThaID during check-in later, she said. The agency is also upgrading its main website and has put the list of hotel and tourism products on the front page to let unregistered users search for hotels before they enrol in the scheme. Responding to complaints from users unable to obtain a one-time password (OTP) for email verification, mostly Gmail users, she said the large amount of OTP submissions at one time made Google classify them as spam. These technical hurdles were partially resolved, and the TAT assured tourists the system should run smoothly within a week. In terms of concerns about overpriced hotel rooms in the scheme, Ms Thapanee said prices should not exceed 10% above last year's low-season rate. If any hotel is found to be selling overpriced rooms, the TAT has the right to blacklist the operators from the system, she said. However, as hoteliers sought to use dynamic pricing for the co-payment system, Ms Thapanee said hotels should adopt only two fixed rates: weekdays and weekends plus holidays.
