BANGKOK : Thailand’s economic recovery is being supported by stronger exports, but the pace will be affected by only a gradual recovery in the number of foreign tourists, the country’s finance minister said on Wednesday.
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy was among the first destinations in Asia to reopen to vaccinated tourists last year, but authorities have been slower to remove entry rules perceived as more cumbersome than in other parts of the region.
“Our export sector is strong, but tourism recovery will be gradual,” Arkhom Termpittayapaisith told an online business seminar, noting Thailand received about 700,000 visitors in the first four months of 2022.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is targeting 5 to 15 million arrivals this year, spending between 630 billion baht to 1.2 trillion baht ($18.18 billion to $34.63 billion).
In 2019, Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million visitors, spending 1.93 trillion baht, with the…
