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

[edit] Overview

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 14 million international guests visiting Thailand in 2007. 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. France, comparable to Thailand in land area and population, led the list with nearly 82 million foreign visitors.[5]

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.[6]

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand,[7] 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 the Middle East and Russia is on the rise.[8] 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.

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]

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Annual statistics

"Amazing Thailand" - Thailand Tourism booth at a Travel and Tour Expo
Year changes references
2011 19,098,323 +19.84 % [14]
2010 15,936,400 +12.63 % [15]
2009 14,149,841 -2.98 % [16]
2008 14,584,220 +0.83 %
2007 14,464,228 +4.65 % [17]
2006 13,821,802 +20.01 %
2005 11,516,936 -1.15%
2004 11,650,703 no data

[edit] Top 20 Most visited nationalities

Data from Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and sports [18]

2011 2010 2009
rank change nationals amount (people) percent change nationals amount (people) percent nationals amount (people) percent)
 ASEAN 5,529,940 28.96 ASEAN 4,534,235 28.45 ASEAN 3,968,579 28.05
1 steady  Malaysia 2,470,686 12.94 steady  Malaysia 2,058,956 12.92  Malaysia 1,757,813 12.42
2 steady  China[19] 1,760,564 9.22 increase (2)  China 1,122,219 7.04  Japan 1,004,453 7.10
3 steady  Japan 1,126,221 5.90 decrease (1)  Japan 993,674 6.24  United Kingdom 841,425 5.95
4 increase (5)  Russia 1,014,493 5.31 decrease (1)  United Kingdom 810,727 5.09  China 777,508 5.49
5 steady  South Korea 1,014,292 5.31 increase (3)  South Korea 805,445 5.05  Laos 655,034 4.63
6 steady  India 916,787 4.80 increase (3)  India 760,371 4.77  Australia 646,705 4.57
7 steady  Laos 887,677 4.65 decrease (2)  Laos 715,345 4.49  United States 627,074 4.43
8 steady (1)  Australia 854,064 4.47 decrease (2)  Australia 698,046 4.38  South Korea 618,227 4.37
9 decrease (5)  United Kingdom 844,224 4.42 increase (7)  Russia 644,678 4.05  India 614,566 4.34
10 steady  United States 684,073 3.58 decrease (3)  United States 611,792 3.84  Germany 573,473 4.05
11 increase (1)  Singapore 670,148 3.51 decrease (1)  Germany 606,874 3.81  Singapore 563,575 3.98
12 decrease (1)  Germany 603,177 3.16 decrease (1)  Singapore 603,538 3.79  France 427,067 3.02
13 increase (1)  Vietnam 488,315 2.56 decrease (1)  France 461,670 2.90  Vietnam 363,029 2.57
14 decrease (1)  France 509,225 2.67 decrease (1)  Vietnam 380,368 2.39  Taiwan 362,783 2.56
15 steady  Taiwan 450,753 2.36 decrease (1)  Taiwan 369,220 2.32  Sweden 350,819 2.48
16 increase (1)  Hong Kong 418,063 2.19 decrease (1)  Sweden 355,214 2.23  Russia 336,965 2.38
17 increase (1)  Indonesia 369,530 1.93 steady  Hong Kong 316,476 1.99  Hong Kong 318,762 2.25
18 decrease (2)  Sweden 336,593 1.76 steady  Indonesia 286,072 1.80  Indonesia 227,205 1.61
19 steady  Philippines 271,903 1.42 steady  Philippines 246,430 1.55  Philippines 217,705 1.54
20 increase  Cambodia 252,705 1.32 steady  Netherlands 196,994 1.24  Netherlands 205,412 1.45


Selling umbrellas at the Sunday evening market in Chiang Mai

[edit] Outlook for 2010

An "open-air" bar in Bangkok

At the beginning of the year, the forecasts for tourism over 2010 seemed positive due to the easing of the monetary crisis, the renewed vigorous growth of the Chinese economy, the relatively stable internal political situation following the 2008–2009 Thai political crisis and the 2009 flu pandemic having less of an impact as initially feared. Thailand experienced a decrease of international visitors of 16% over the first six months of 2009 but the last four months of 2009 have seen a return of foreign tourists to Thailand with a marked increase in the months of November and December. The provisional numbers for 2009 have been revised upwards to close to 14 million international visitors, which is a decrease of only 4% compared to 2008. Initially, it was feared that 2009 would show a decrease of 38% for certain sectors of the tourism industry. The new marketing slogan which was adopted in mid 2009, Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value, and the government stimulation package, seemed to have helped reversing the downward trend for the latter half of 2009 and for the first few months of 2010.[20][21][22][23][24]

Following the verdict by the Thai Supreme Court on February 26, 2010, that 46 billion Thai baht worth of assets of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be seized, the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) organised protests in Bangkok, the first on March 14. Initially peaceful, on April 10 and during the final crackdown from May 13 to May 19 of 2010, the protests turned violent with clashes between protesters and security forces in Bangkok, leading to the deaths of 85 people in total, both protesters as well as security troops, and two foreign journalists.

The unrest in Bangkok have cost Thailand an estimated 7.5 billion baht (approximately 182 million euro or 232 million US dollars) in tourism revenues for the months March and April, based on international arrival numbers. The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects the sector to recover in the third quarter if the political crisis is resolved soon. Plans have been drawn up by the government to revitalise the tourism trade, starting in June, with 1 billion baht set aside for campaigns targeting international markets and 600 million baht targeting the domestic market.[25]

[edit] International marketing slogan

The main marketing slogan for promoting Thailand internationally was "Amazing Thailand", but, in reaction to the 2009 tourism crisis, it was relaunched as "Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value".[26] By contrast, the main marketing slogan for promoting Thai tourism to the Thai is Unseen in Thailand.

[edit] Attractions

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 deservedly famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices. From an inexpensive plate of delicious Som tam at a simple street stall upcountry to a modern take on Thai cuisine in the gourmet restaurants of Bangkok, it's very difficult not to eat well in Thailand.

Only the most austere ascetics can resist shopping when in Thailand. Bangkok is renowned for its main shopping malls down town, 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,[27] animals. The "Pratunam Market" downtown, is nearly totally specialised 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.

[edit] Climate

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.[28]

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. Rain showers occur mainly late in the afternoon or early in the evening. It is also extremely humid.

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.[29]

[edit] Major destinations

Map of Thailand

Central Thailand

Northern Thailand

North-eastern Thailand

Southern Thailand

[edit] See also

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

[edit] General

[edit] Art and culture

[edit] Nature and sports

[edit] Language

[edit] Tourism

[edit] Notes and references

  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. http://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/56779/1/KJ00000132246.pdf. 
  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. ^ UNTWO (June 2008). "UNTWO World Tourism Barometer, Vol.6 No.2" (PDF). http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-03. 
  6. ^ Euromonitor International (January 2010). "Euromonitor International's Top City Destination Ranking". http://www.euromonitor.com/Articles.aspx?folder=Euromonitor_Internationals_Top_City_Destination_Ranking&print=true. Retrieved 2010-10-14. 
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ Tourism Authority of Thailand. .tat.or.th. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  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.bangkokpost.com/travel/news/252872/record-number-of-arrivals-expected retrieved on August 22, 2011
  15. ^ http://tourism.go.th/2010/th/statistic/tourism.php?cid=30 retrieved on 3 May 2011
  16. ^ http://tourism.go.th/2010/th/statistic/tourism.php?cid=27 สืบค้นข้อมูล 4 กุมภาพันธ์ 2554
  17. ^ http://service.nso.go.th/nso/thailand/dataFile/16/J16W/J16W/th/0.htm retrieved on 16 July 2011
  18. ^ http://tourism.go.th/2010/th/statistic/tourism.php?cid=30 retrieved on 4 February 2011
  19. ^ ไม่รวม ไต้หวัน ฮ่องกง มาเก๊า
  20. ^ Thailand Tourism Report Q3 2009 - new market report just published. Pr-inside.com (2009-07-23). Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  21. ^ Tourism « Thailand Crisis. Thaicrisis.wordpress.com. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  22. ^ Tourism plunges 22 per cent, 23/07/2009
  23. ^ Travel agents report huge contraction, 30/10/2009
  24. ^ Thailand tourism overview for 2009 and tourism goals and trends for 2010. Tatnews.org. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  25. ^ Plunge in arrivals spells B7.5bn loss, 1/05/2010
  26. ^ page 34
  27. ^ IUCN - Home. Cms.iucn.org (2008-04-24). Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  28. ^ World Maps of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated. Koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at. Retrieved on 2010-09-16.
  29. ^ World Weather Information Service - Thailand. Worldweather.org (2006-10-16). Retrieved on 2010-09-16.

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