The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has stressed the importance of the formation of a new government to boost tourism and attract overseas tourists for the upcoming tourism high season.
TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn stated that the next government’s formation has significant ramifications for budget allocation for the fiscal year 2024, which begins in October each year. He said that TAT has sought a 1.5 billion baht increase above this year’s budget of 3 billion baht for the fiscal year 2024. This budget will include routine expenses, such as personnel costs, as well as existing and possible new marketing campaigns to lure foreign visitors to Thailand.
The TAT Governor emphasized that any delay in government formation would result in a delay in budget approval, limiting TAT’s marketing efforts to only 50% of the budget for this year. With the changing environment and fierce competition in the global tourism business, he believes that any delay in establishing the new government will hinder Thailand’s competitiveness in the global tourism sector.
The TAT Governor further noted that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand is yet to meet expectations, with only 1.85 million visiting the country in the first seven months of this year. This number is still far below the 4 million Chinese visitors forecast for 2023, owing to economic concerns in China as well as the Chinese government’s stimulus initiatives to boost domestic travel. With these unforeseen variables, he emphasized that Thailand needs to implement additional strategies in order to attract more tourists in order to achieve the goal, which requires authorization from the next government.
Meanwhile, as one of TAT’s strategies to attract more visitors, TAT has recently introduced the “STAR: Sustainable Tourism Acceleration Rating” program to help push Thailand’s move towards sustainable tourism. Under the program, businesses that meet the program’s self-assessment requirements will be awarded the “Sustainable Star” certificate, which is valid for two years.
Applications can be submitted online at www.TATstar.org. Those who are interested in joining the program can contact TAT for more information. (NNT)
