Amid the dwindling number of Chinese tourists, Thailand is looking at Indians to boost its all important tourism sector that has been ravaged by the Covid pandemic. Chinese travellers made up for 30 per cent of the total inbound tourist arrivals in the pre-pandemic years. The Chinese travellers, still reeling under restrictions, are unlikely to return on the world tourism map anytime soon.
According to the Thaiger, Thailand’s local news organisation, Bangkok believes that tourism in Thailand, as well as local economies, "can and will be lifted on the backs of these Indian tourists.”
Luring tourists from India has become a primary focus are the Thai government in hopes of making up ground for the approximately 13 million Chinese tourists that visited Thailand yearly in the pre-pandemic years, the news organisation said.
The tourism sector is of critical importance for Thailand. It created 36 million jobs between 2014 and 2019, the study said.
Until July 6, a total of 249,466 Indian travellers entered Thailand. That equates to 11.27 per cent of the 2,214,132 people who have come to Thailand so far this year, the Thaiger report revealed.
However, a tour operator said that Indians are refraining from going to Bangkok. Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai among others continue to remain their favourite holiday destinations.
Prior to the pandemic, China with a population of 1.4 billion, was one of the main drivers of the global tourism industry, estimated at $ 5.81 trillion.
Besides China, countries including the US, UK, Germany and Australia too had a large number of outbound tourists. But with the energy crisis, the number of outbound tourists from Europe is set to be significantly less.
The tourism industry has a multiplier effect as it directly impacts other sectors such as hospitality, transport, micro, small and medium enterprises, among others.
Prior to the pandemic, the travel industry – direct and indirect accounted for 1 in 4 of all new jobs created across the globe, a report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) revealed.
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