Travel
Thailand Wants More Tourists Who Act Like Australians
- Nation shuns target for visitor numbers after years-long surge
- Focus instead is on boosting daily spending and length of stay
Klong Ka Raft House On Cheow En Lake In The Khao Sok National Park, Thailand.
Photographer: Education Images/UIG via Getty ImagesThailand is now so popular for holidays that almost 35 million foreign tourists -- equivalent to half the country’s population -- are expected this year.
As the influx gets harder to manage, the government is shifting strategy. It’s now targeting a minimum increase in tourism revenue of about 5 percent annually instead of a particular number of visitors, Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said. That means encouraging longer stays and higher daily spending, a mix the typical Australian holidaymaker exemplifies, she said.