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Shortly after taking office, Tourism and Sport Minister Weerasak Kohsurat made a bold commitment that 2008 would be the year of Thai tourism and 2009 the year of investment in the tourism industry. He also raised the tourism revenue target for this year to surpass one trillion baht with 800 billion from foreign visitors.
Previously, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) projected revenue from foreign visitors would hit 600 billion baht, with domestic tourists contributing 385 billion.
In 2007, Thailand welcomed 14.46 million foreign visitors, registering 4.65% growth over 2006. This year, the country expects almost 16 million international visitors, up 6% over 2007.
The minister also drafted a four-year plan starting this year to increase tourism revenue, and pledged to invest up to 6.5 billion baht in new projects.
The new projects cover the four key regions of the country and include hot springs, Lanna northern traditional culture, eco-tourism in the North, riverside tourism in the central region, and development of the Gulf of Thailand coast in the South.
Plans are also afoot to develop new tourism routes along the Mekong River, dinosaur fossils and cultural tourism in the Northeast, as well as jewellery and agricultural tourism in the East.
According to Mr Weerasak, 21 provinces have the potential of becoming world-class destinations, with Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Chon Buri earmarked as the highest-growth areas.
Others include Rayong, Phangnga, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Surat Thani, Songkhla, Krabi, Kanchanaburi and Trat.
However, only two projects _ the Royal Coast and Chiang Mai convention and exhibition centre _ are likely to get off the ground this year.
Formerly called the Thailand Riviera, the Royal Coast development plan calls for an investment of 31 billion baht, 10 billion of which would come from public funds for infrastructure development, and 21 billion from private investment.
First initiated in 2005, the Royal Coast project aims to make the upper South an internationally renowned destination.
The project involves four provinces _ Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Ranong _ with great potential for further tourism development. The 400-kilometre-long coastal area already has good basic facilities, especially road, rail and air links. The four provinces have diverse and famous attractions, such as historical and cultural sites, national parks, beaches and hot springs.
They would also be linked to eastern coastal tourist sites, such as Pattaya, Sattahip and Rayong.
Under the original 2007-11 timeframe, Phetchaburi would be turned into a centre for historical and cultural tourism. Prachuap Khiri Khan and Chumphon would be developed for natural attractions, while Ranong would be a health tourism centre.
According to a TAT study, the project would quadruple the number of Thai tourists to the four provinces to 20 million in 2011 from 5.4 million in 2004; and foreign visitors to three million from 661,017.
In the meantime, construction of the Chiang Mai convention centre is likely to start this year. It was initiated by former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and is located on a 400-rai site in Muang District with an investment of 1.4 billion baht.
On the marketing front, the TAT is flexing its muscle to tap India and China, starting with the opening of new offices in Mumbai, Shanghai and Kunming.
The TAT's only Indian office now
is in New Delhi, which it has operated since 2003. It opened a marketing representative office in Mumbai last November, while in China, it has only one office in Beijing.
Thailand is the second most popular Asian destination among Indians.
Last year, 536,356 Indians visited
Thailand, second only to Singapore,
which attracted 749,000. hailand was the third most popular destination for Indian tourists after Singapore and the United States.
This year, the TAT aims to draw at least 600,000 Indian tourists, with the number expected to reach 667,000 next year and 728,000 in 2010.
For China, the focus is on affluent urban Chinese. About one million Chinese visited Thailand in 2007, down 2.9% from 2006. The TAT expects the number to grow by 10% to 1.3 million this year.
However, growing anti-government demonstrations could threaten tourism growth, concedes TAT governor Phornsiri Manoharn, especially among Japanese and other Asians who are more sensitive to political and social instability than their western peers.
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