Big-spending Aussies embody Thailand's new tourism strategy

Bangkok

THAILAND 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 per cent 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.

"Maybe they're the ones who are like: this is my time - I eat, I shop, and I eat, and I shop," Ms Kobkarn, 56, said in an interview.

Australian visitors were among the top 10 biggest spenders in terms of per capita daily expenditure last year, forking out 5,831 baht (S$237), Tourism Ministry data shows. Their average length of stay of almost 14 days was the highest in that group. Some nationalities take even longer holidays but tend to be more parsimonious. British tourists, for instance, stayed for just over 18 days on average …