The number of foreign visitors to Thailand in 2015 will exceed the target of 28.8 million after the country welcomed 17.5 million visitors in the first seven months of the year, according to the government.
Deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the 17.5 million visitors brought in 814.44 billion baht in tourism revenue from January to July this year.
For 2015, the government predicted arrivals of 29-30 million and revenue of 1.6-1.8 trillion baht, higher than the 1.4 trillion baht projected earlier.
In July, Thailand welcomed 2,641,998 foreign tourists, up 49.37% year-on-year, with Chinese and Malaysian visitors topping the nationality list.
Maj Gen Sansern said the government expected up to 900,000 Chinese visitors to Thailand in early October, the long national holiday of the mainland, up from the monthly average of 500,000 to 600,000 visitors.
As the US economy is recovering, the government expected to also welcome 1.2 million Americans in 2015, up from around 700,000 a year.
He pointed out the weaker baht was a stimulus attracting more foreign tourists to Thailand.
At home, Maj Gen Sansern said domestic travelling in the first seven months of this year consisted of 139 million trips, which translated into spending of around 400 billion baht, or half the target.
He urged Thai people to make more domestic trips and take advantage of the government’s tax break on hotel expenses or package tours of up to 15,000 baht.
Central and local government agencies should also organise seminars or field trips to promote domestic tourism and stimulate the economy, he said.