Thailand expects tourism revenue of nearly US$50b in 2017

[BANGKOK] Thailand expects revenue from foreign tourists to rise 8.5 per cent to 1.78 trillion baht (S$71.8 billion) this year, a deputy prime minister said on Monday.

The expected rise results from an improved outlook for global tourism as well as Thailand's investment in infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Thanasak Patimaprakorn told reporters. "This is another year that we will need to focus on quality tourism more than tourist numbers," he said.

Thanasak expects daily tourist spending to increase to 5,200 baht per person this year, from 5,100 baht last year.

Last year, Thailand had 32.6 million visitors, a rise of nearly 9 per cent from the year before.

REUTERS