Tourism reform call as numbers plunge

Foreign arrivals have been falling this year

- NARUMON KASEMSUK

Thailand needs to urgently address the freefall in foreign arrivals, which is more pronounced this quarter among both leisure and corporate travellers, by reforming the sector and creating new destinations, according to a former head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Yuthasak Supasorn, former governor of the TAT and current chairman of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, said foreign arrivals have contracted 1% this year as of May 11, attributed to a decrease from the Southeast Asian market, which typically comprises 60% of the inbound market.

He said the greatest concern was the Chinese, Hong Kong and South Korean markets, which dropped 31%, 20.8% and 14.9%, respectively.

The Southeast Asian market has contracted by 2.2%, with Vietnam dipping 15%, while the only market in the region that grew was Myanmar, by 13.5%.