Thailand’s tourism industry recovered in 2006 with 13.82 million international tourist arrivals, up almost 20% from 11.52 million in 2005. Statistics showed China arrivals to Thailand by country of residence has risen by 35.62% to 1.03 million in 2006, from 0.76 million in 2005. Meanwhile, tourist arrivals from East Asia have surged by 18.66% in 2006, while European arrivals were also up by 23.64%.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that international visitors will reach 14.8 million in 2007 and 15.7 million in 2008. The tourism in Thailand is expected to generate THB 547 billion (US$15.3 billion) in revenue this year. The domestic tourism targets 82 million trips in 2007 and 83 million trips in 2008.
