Tourism in Thailand

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Detail of the chedi of Wat Chang Kham in Nan, Thailand

Tourism is a major economic factor in the Kingdom of Thailand, contributing an estimated 6.7% to Thailand's GDP in 2007.[1]

Contents

Overview [edit]

Statue of a mythical Kinnon at Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

Among the reasons for the increase in tourism in the 1960s were the stable political atmosphere and the development of Bangkok as a crossroads of international air transportation. The hotel industry and retail industry both expanded rapidly due to tourist demand. It was also boosted by the presence of US soldiers who started to arrive in the 1960s for Rest and Recuperation (R&R) during the Vietnam War period.[2] Coinciding, international mass tourism sharply increased during the same period due to the rising standard of living, more people acquiring more free time and due to improvements in technology making it possible to travel further, faster, cheaper and in greater numbers, epitomised by the Boeing 747 which first flew commercially in 1970.[3] Thailand was one of the major players in Asia to capitalise on this then-new trend.

Tourist numbers have grown from 336,000 foreign visitors and 54,000 R&R soldiers in 1967[2] to over 22 million international guests visiting Thailand in 2012. The average duration of their stay in 2007 was 9.19 days, generating an estimated 547,782 million Thai baht, around 11 billion Euro.[4] In 2007, Thailand was the 18th most visited country in the World Tourism rankings with 14.5 million visitors.[citation needed]

In 2008, Bangkok ranked 3rd behind London and New York in Euromonitor International's list of "Top City Destinations" with 10,209,900 visitors, Pattaya 23rd with 4,406,300 visitors, Phuket 31st with 3,344,700 visitors, and Chiang Mai ranked 78th place with 1,604,600 visitors.[5]

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand,[6] 55% of the tourists in 2007 came from the Asia Pacific region, Japanese and Malaysians forming the two biggest groups. The largest groups of Western tourists come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United States and Scandinavia. The number of tourists arriving from Russia is on the rise.[7] Around 55% of Thailand's tourists are return visitors. The peak period is during the Christmas and New Year holidays when Western tourists flee the cold conditions.

In 2012, 2.7 million Chinese visitors traveled to Thailand. [8]

Domestic tourism has also grown significantly in the past decade. Revenues from domestic tourism have gone from 187,898 million baht in 1998 to 380,417 million baht (approximately 7.8 billion Euro) in 2007.[4]

Asian tourists primarily visit Thailand for Bangkok and the historical, natural and cultural sights in its vicinity. Western tourists not only visit Bangkok and surroundings but in addition many travel down to the southern beaches and islands. The North is the main region for trekking and adventure travel with its diverse ethnic minority groups and forested mountains. The region receiving less tourists is Isan in the north-east. To facilitate foreign visitors, the Thai government established a separate tourism police with offices in the major tourist areas and its own central emergency telephone number.[9]

Sex tourism also contributes to arrival numbers. Although officially illegal, prostitution in Thailand is monitored and regulated by the government to stem the spread of STD's and to prevent excesses. Prostitution catering to foreigners is believed to be around 20% of the total prostitution scene in Thailand, and is concentrated in a few major red-light districts such as Pattaya, Patpong and Patong Beach.[10]

Thailand has been receiving increased competition ever since Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam opened up to international tourism in the 1980s and 90s. Destinations like Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang and Halong Bay now contest Thailand's former monopoly in the Indochina region. To counter this, Thailand is actively targeting niche markets such as golf holidays, or holidays combined with medical treatment. Thailand has also plans on becoming the hub for Buddhist tourism in the region.[11] Around 2 million foreigners visiting Thailand for medical treatment are expected in 2009, more than 3 times the amount of tourist visiting for that purpose in 2002.[12] According to Lonely Planet, Thailand ranks second of "Best-value destinations for 2010" after Iceland; the latter having been hit very hard by the subprime mortgage crisis.[13]

Statistics [edit]

Annual statistics [edit]

"Amazing Thailand" - Thailand Tourism booth at a Travel and Tour Expo
Year changes references
2013(Jan-Mar) 6,828,718 +18.94% [14]
2012 22,303,065 +15.98 % [15]
2011 19,230,470 +20.67 % [16]
2010 15,936,400 +12.63 % [17]
2009 14,149,841 -2.98 % [18]
2008 14,584,220 +0.83 %
2007 14,464,228 +4.65 % [19]
2006 13,821,802 +20.01 %
2005 11,516,936 -1.15%
2004 11,650,703 no data

Top 20 Most visiting nationalities [edit]

Data from Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and sports [20]

Rank Country or territory 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
*  ASEAN 6,253,480 5,594,577 4,534,235 3,968,579 3,971,429 3,520,051 3,389,342
1  China 2,789,345 1,721,247 1,122,219 777,508 826,660 907,117 949,117
2  Malaysia 2,560,963 2,500,280 2,058,956 1,757,813 1,805,332 1,540,080 1,591,328
3  Japan 1,371,253 1,127,893 993,674 1,004,453 1,153,868 1,277,638 1,311,987
4  Russia 1,317,387 1,054,187 644,678 336,965 324,120 277,503 187,658
5  South Korea 1,169,131 1,006,283 805,445 618,227 889,210 1,083,652 1,092,783
6  India 1,015,865 914,971 760,371 614,566 536,964 536,356 459,795
7  Laos 951,090 891,950 715,345 655,034 621,564 513,701 276,207
8  Australia 930,599 829,855 698,046 646,705 694,473 658,148 549,547
9  United Kingdom 870,164 844,972 810,727 841,425 826,523 859,010 850,685
10  Singapore 821,056 682,364 603,538 563,575 570,047 604,603 687,160
11  United States 767,420 681,748 611,792 627,074 669,097 681,972 694,258
12  Germany 681,566 619,133 606,874 573,473 542,726 544,495 516,659
13  Vietnam 617,804 496,768 380,368 363,029 338,303 237,672 227,134
14  France 572,996 515,572 461,670 427,067 398,407 373,090 321,278
15  Hong Kong 472,699 411,834 316,476 318,762 337,827 367,862 376,636
16  Indonesia 448,748 370,795 286,072 227,205 247,930 237,592 219,783
17  Cambodia 424,766 265,903 146,274 96,586 85,790 99,945 117,100
18  Taiwan 394,475 447,610 369,220 362,783 393,176 427,474 475,117
19  Sweden 350,565 373,856 355,214 350,819 392,274 378,387 306,085
20  Philippines 288,889 268,375 246,430 217,705 221,506 205,266 198,443

International marketing slogan [edit]

Selling umbrellas at the Sunday evening market in Chiang Mai

The main marketing slogan for promoting Thailand internationally was "Amazing Thailand". The main marketing slogan for promoting Thai tourism to the Thai is Unseen in Thailand.

Attractions [edit]

Phanom Rung is a Khmer temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano in Buriram Province

Thailand offers a great variety of attractions. These include diving sites, sandy beaches, hundreds of tropical islands, varied night-life, archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, exceptional flora and bird life, palaces, a huge amount of Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites. Many tourists follow courses during their stay in Thailand. Popular are classes in Thai cooking, Buddhism and traditional Thai massage. Thai national festivals range from the fun-for-all water splashing Songkran to the almost fairytale like quality of Loy Krathong. Many localities in Thailand also have their own festivals. Famous are the "Elephant Round-up" in Surin, the "Rocket Festival" in Yasothon and the curious "Phi Ta Khon" festival in Dan Sai. Thai cuisine has become famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices.

Only the most austere ascetics can resist shopping when in Thailand. Bangkok is renowned for its main shopping malls, offering an astounding variety of international and local brands. Towards the north of the city, and easily reached by skytrain or underground, is "Chatuchak Weekend Market". It is possibly the largest market in the world, selling everything from household items to live, and sometimes endangered,[21] animals. The "Pratunam Market" specialises in fabrics and clothing. The night markets in the Silom area and on Khaosan Road are mainly tourist orientated, selling items such as T-shirts, handicrafts, counterfeit watches and sunglasses. In the vicinity of Bangkok one can find several visually stunning floating markets such as the one in Damnoen Saduak. The "Sunday Evening Walking Street Market", held on Rachadamnoen road inside the old city, must be the shopping highlight of a visit to Chiang Mai up in northern Thailand. It attracts many locals as well as foreigners. The "Night Bazaar" is Chiang Mai's more tourist orientated market, sprawling over several city blocks just east of the old city walls towards the river.

Climate [edit]

Dawn at Patong beach, Phuket Province

Thailand predominantly has a tropical wet and dry or savannah climate while the South and the eastern tip of the East have a tropical monsoon climate.[22]

Most of Thailand experiences three seasons:

  • The cool dry season from late November till February is most excellent up north with temperatures in December for Chiang Mai averaging around 15 Celsius at night time and going up to around 28 Celsius during daytime with clear sunny skies. Higher up in the mountains, temperatures can even drop down to near freezing at night. In Bangkok and in the central and north-eastern plains of Thailand, midday temperatures during the cool dry season average around 30 Celsius and the humidity is much lower.
  • The hot dry season from March till May can see daytime temperatures in the mid to high 30s. This is the time for holding festivals (such as Songkran and Rocket Festival) to mark the coming of the rainy season.
  • The rainy season from May to October has daytime temperatures in the low 30s with night-time temperatures in the mid to high 20s, though there are some areas with a relatively short rainy season, such as Ko Samui where it is typically only approximately 6 weeks.[23] Rain showers occur mainly late in the afternoon or early in the evening. Typically the humidity level is high.

Deeper south on the Kra Isthmus with its tropical monsoon climate, daytime temperatures the year round tend to hover around 31 Celsius with only a marked increase in rainfall during the monsoons. The west coast is affected by monsoon from May to October, the south-east coast of the isthmus is affected from October to January.[24]

Major destinations [edit]

Map of Thailand

Central and eastern seaboard Thailand

Northern Thailand

North-eastern Thailand

Southern Thailand

See also [edit]

The Ho trai (temple library) of Wat Tung Sri Muang in Ubon Ratchathani
A woman of the Karen ethnic group
Grilled prawns are just one of the many dishes in Thai cuisine
Sri Dit waterfall in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, Phitsanulok Province

General [edit]

Art and culture [edit]

Nature and sports [edit]

Language [edit]

Tourism [edit]

Notes and references [edit]

  1. ^ Thailand Tourism Review. Bangkokpost.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  2. ^ a b Ouyyanont, Porphant (2001). "The Vietnam War and Tourism in Bangkok's Development, 1960-70". The southeast asian studies 39 (2): 157–187. 
  3. ^ Activity 1 | The rise of tourism. Unesco.org. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  4. ^ a b Tourism Authority of Thailand. .tat.or.th (2008-05-06). Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  5. ^ Euromonitor International (January 2010). "Euromonitor International's Top City Destination Ranking". Retrieved 2010-10-14. 
  6. ^ [1]
  7. ^ Tourism Authority of Thailand. .tat.or.th. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  8. ^ Thailand Business News. Retrieved on 2012-05-06.
  9. ^ Tourist Police in Thailand. Amazing-Thailand.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  10. ^ The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Thailand. .hu-berlin.de. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  11. ^ Outbound travel on the upswing, 4/05/2010
  12. ^ [2][dead link]
  13. ^ Thailand second best-value destination, 3/11/2009]
  14. ^ http:// www.tourism.go.th/tourism/th/home/tourism.php
  15. ^ http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2013/01/thailand-hits-22m-visits/comment-page-1/#comment-33955
  16. ^ http://www.bangkokpost.com/travel/news/252872/record-number-of-arrivals-expected retrieved on August 22, 2011
  17. ^ http://tourism.go.th/2010/th/statistic/tourism.php?cid=30 retrieved on 3 May 2011
  18. ^ http://tourism.go.th/2010/th/statistic/tourism.php?cid=27 สืบค้นข้อมูล 4 กุมภาพันธ์ 2554
  19. ^ http://service.nso.go.th/nso/thailand/dataFile/16/J16W/J16W/th/0.htm retrieved on 16 July 2011
  20. ^ http://tourism.go.th/2010/th/statistic/tourism.php?cid=30 retrieved on 4 February 2011
  21. ^ IUCN - Home. Cms.iucn.org (2008-04-24). Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  22. ^ World Maps of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated. Koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  23. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ko_Samui#Climate
  24. ^ World Weather Information Service - Thailand. Worldweather.org (2006-10-16). Retrieved on 2010-09-16.

External links [edit]

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