BANGKOK - Thailand is betting on"revenge spending' by tourists and a rush of travellers from Europe and the United States looking to trade harsh winter at home for tropical weather to accelerate a recovery in its tourism industry.
As tourist arrivals will only gradually return to pre-Covid levels, Thailand will focus on extracting more from each visitor, Mr Yuthasak said, adding a slump in the baht's value against the US dollar to a 16-year low will spur spending. "Save your money, lock your home and come to Thailand. Pay for a pool villa in Phuket instead of paying the energy bills," Mr Yuthasak said at a briefing."We hope that, with revenge travelling, there will be a shift to revenge spending. They buy everything."
The number may double to 20 million in 2023, with tourism revenue seen at 2.49 trillion baht, or 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, he said.