Thailand is potentially capable of doubling the number of international visitors to 65 million a year over the next 20 years with proper development and management of its tourism sector, says the World Travel & Tourism Council.
WTTC chairman Gerald Lawless said Thailand could double the number of international tourists again over the next 20 years, having attracted 32.5 million foreign arrivals a year in recent times compared with less than 10 million 17 years ago.
"Thailand just has to make sure that its sustainable development and management will remain on course, particularly in terms of the development of new tourism destinations and tourism spots," Mr Lawless said.
According to the latest report by the WTTC, Thailand's tourism sector grew by nearly 11% in 2016 and is expected to be the world's 10th fastest-growing country over the next decade, with average revenue growth of 6.5% a year.
Speaking at the WTTC Global Summit 2017, Mr Lawless said that he saw Thailand as one of the highest-potential countries in terms of tourism in Asean because there are sufficient natural resources and cultural traditions that attract growing hordes of international tourists each year.
"Thailand's growth opportunity is immense because the country has a fantastic tourism industry," Mr Lawless said.
In 2017, Thailand tourism is forecast to grow by 6.9% and rise by an average of 6.5% a year over the next decade to 5.9 trillion baht.
Mr Lawless said global tourism will continue to grow because people are becoming more prosperous as economies continue to expand worldwide and most people aspire to travel once within their lives.
He expressed confidence that this growth will continue.
Mr Lawless said the common travel area and common visa, once in place, will help strengthen the Asean community's tourism competitiveness in the long run.
The WTTC report said travel and tourism contribute US$7.2 trillion (249 trillion baht) to global output and support 284 million jobs.