Thai Tourism Scales New Heights
The tourism industry in Thailand is celebrating 50 years of existence this year. The golden jubilee is being marked by the launch of green tourism initiatives, community-based tourism development projects, medical-tourism marketing, and new must-see luxury products for a spoiled and demanding travel market. Tourism in Thailand has been growing since 1960, the year that saw some 81,000 foreign visitors to the kingdom. Today, that number has soared to 14.5 million and is expected to rise to 15.5 million by the end of 2010.
“Thailand remains one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations,” says H.E. Chumpol Silapa-archa , minister of tourism and sports. “It’s well regarded for the quality and variety of its tourist attractions, as a premier shopping venue and its value-for-money in products and services. Billions of dollars worth of investment has poured into the industry, employing about 3 million people in direct and indirect jobs nationwide and contributed to the sustainable development of numerous communities and tourism attractions.”
