Thailand can still consider bidding for future Fifa World Cups, banking on its credibility as host of Southeast Asia’s first Fifa World Congress later this month, says new Tourism and Sports Minister Sermsak Pongpanit.
The ministry wants to promote sports tourism with a goal of generating 3.5 trillion baht in revenue from related activities this year, he said.
Mr Sermsak said Thailand has a good opportunity to bid for the World Cup together with other Southeast Asian nations in the future.
As Thailand is hosting the 74th Fifa World Congress on May 17, it shows the governing body for world football values the country.
Gongsak Yodmanee, governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), said a World Cup bid has been a long-term goal of the agency.
In 2019, Southeast Asian nations including Thailand agreed to bid for the 2034 World Cup, setting up a technical working group to prepare. However, the countries failed to develop a bid, with many supporting Saudi Arabia, which was ultimately awarded the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico. In 2030, Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the majority of games, with one “celebratory game” each being held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
The tourism and sports ministry, meanwhile, plans this year to prioritise events in the near term, including hosting the Fifa World Congress and the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which will take place in November.
Another focus is upgrading Rajamangala National Stadium with new facilities, and building a new multipurpose sports complex to host sports events and concerts in the Eastern Economic Corridor, said Mr Gongsak.
Discussing other goals for the ministry, Mr Sermsak said the government would seek to upgrade second-tier cities into preferred destinations as part of a plan to increase low-season revenue.
With his past experience at the Interior Ministry, Mr Sermsak said he would coordinate with provincial governors to promote tourism in both major cities and second-tier provinces.
“During my term at the tourism ministry, we aim to elevate second-tier cities to cities worth visiting to generate more tourism income,” he said.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the agency would launch campaigns to boost domestic tourism during the low season.
Those include subsidising travel via tour buses, something it did during the pandemic, and persuading private companies to organise more meetings upcountry.
As civil servants’ salaries will be raised, the agency will encourage other government agencies to let their staff take trips to other provinces. Airlines and hotels will be approached to offer special promotions to them and their families, she added.
The TAT also plans to discuss with the Comptroller-General’s Department and related authorities about increasing meeting and incentive budgets for state agencies to increase revenue for regional tourism operators.
As of May 6, Thailand had welcomed 12.6 million foreign tourists, led by 2.47 million Chinese nationals.