Tourism in Thailand

Thailand had no organised tourism industry until the late-1950s. In that era, Bangkok had only 871 tourist-standard rooms to serve its 40,000 foreign visitors per year. In 1959 the first governmental tourist authority was formed. In the early-1960s, Don Mueang Airport completed a runway that could accommodate jet aircraft. Bangkok then became one of the approved R&R locations for US troops serving in Vietnam. Some 45,000 troops visited in 1967, while the number of full-time, Thailand-based US troops swelled to 45,000 in 1969. The number of Bangkok hotel rooms exploded to 7,000 by the mid-1960s. The US troop presence turned New Phetchaburi Road into an "American strip" of bars, massage parlours, brothels, and clubs. After the US quit Thailand in the 1970s, the sex industry was repackaged to accommodate a civilian clientele. By 1979, the number of annual foreign visitors had grown to more than 600,000, rising to 12 million annually by the turn of the 21st century.[8]

Fireworks at Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park, Phetchaburi

A mythical Kinnon, Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok

Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya

Among the reasons for the increase in tourism in the 1960s were the stable political atmosphere and the development of Bangkok as a crossroads of international air transport.[9] The hotel industry and retail industry both expanded rapidly due to tourist demand. It was boosted by the presence of US GIs who arrived in the 1960s for rest and recuperation (R&R) during the Vietnam War.[10] During this time, international tourism was becoming the new trend as living standards increased throughout the world and travel became faster and more dependable with the introduction of new technology in the air transport sector.[11]

Tourist numbers have grown from 336,000 foreign visitors and 54,000 GIs on R&R in 1967[10] to 32.59 million foreign guests visiting Thailand in 2016.[12][13][14] The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) claims that the tourist industry earned 2.52 trillion baht (US$71.4 billion) in 2016, up 11% from 2015.[12] TAT officials said their revenue estimates, for foreign and domestic tourists combined, show that tourism revenue for all of 2017 may surpass earlier forecasts of 2.77 trillion baht (US$78.5 billion).[12]

In 2015, 6.7 million persons arrived from ASEAN countries and the number is expected to grow to 8.3 million in 2016, generating 245 billion baht.[15] The largest numbers of Western tourists came from Russia (6.5%), the UK (3.7%), Australia (3.4%) and the US (3.1%).[16] Around 60% of Thailand's tourists are return visitors.[17] The peak period is from December to February.

In 2014, 4.6 million Chinese visitors travelled to Thailand.[16][18] In 2015, Chinese tourists numbered 7.9 million or 27% of all international tourist arrivals, 29.8 million; 8.75 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in 2016.[19][15] In 2017, 27% of the tourists that came to Thailand came from China.[20] Thailand relies heavily on Chinese tourists to meet its tourism revenue target of 2.2 trillion baht in 2015 and 2.3 trillion in 2016. However, in 2020, it was reported that Chinese tourists now ranked Thailand as third most popular foreign tourist destination, having been the top previously.[21]

Sanctuary of Truth, Chonburi.

Wat Rong Khun, Chiang Rai.

Two sculptures guarding the eastern gate to the main chapel of Wat Arun in Bangkok

It is estimated that the average Chinese tourist remains in the country for one week and spends 30,000–40,000 baht (US$1,000–1,300) per person, per trip.[22] The average Chinese tourist spends 6,400 baht (US$180) per day—more than the average visitor's 5,690 baht (US$160).[15][18] According to Thailand's Tourism Authority, the number of Chinese tourists rose by 93% in the first quarter of 2013, an increase that was attributed to the popularity of the Chinese film Lost in Thailand that was filmed in the northern province of Chiang Mai. Chinese media outlets have claimed that Thailand superseded Hong Kong as the top destination for Chinese travellers during the 2013 May Day holiday.[23] In 2013, the Chinese National Tourism Administration published A Guide to Civilized Tourism which has specific statements regarding how to act as a tourist in Thailand.[24]

In 2015, Thailand hosted 1.43 million Japanese travellers, up 4.1% from 2015, generating 61.4 billion baht, up 6.3%. In 2016, Thailand expects 1.7 million Japanese tourists, generating 66.2 billion baht in revenue.[25]

TAT estimates that 1.9 million Indian tourists visited in 2019, up 22% from 2018, generating 84 billion baht in revenue, up 27%.[26]

To accommodate foreign visitors, the Thai government established a separate tourism police force with offices in the major tourist areas and its own central emergency telephone number.[27]

Since the opening of the Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos borders in the late 1900s, competition has increased because Thailand no longer has the monopoly on tourism in Southeast Asia.[28] Destinations like Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang and Halong Bay now rival Thailand's former monopoly in the Indochina region. To counter this, Thailand is targeting niche markets such as golf holidays, holidays combined with medical treatment or visits to military installations.[19] Thailand has also plans to become the hub of Buddhist tourism in the region.[29]

International rankings

In the MasterCard 2014 and 2015 Global Destination Cities Index, Bangkok ranked the second of the world's top-20 most-visited cities, trailing only London.[30][31] The U.S. News' 2017 Best Countries report ranked Thailand at 4th globally for adventure value and 7th for cultural heritage.[32]

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 published by the World Economic Forum ranked Thailand 35 of 141 nations. Among the metrics used to arrive at the rankings, Thailand scored high on "Natural Resources" (16 of 141 nations) and "Tourist Service Infrastructure" (21 of 141), but low on "Environmental Sustainability" (116 of 141) and "Safety and Security" (132 of 141).[33][34]

In 2013, Thailand was the 10th "top tourist destination" in the world tourism rankings with 26.5 million international arrivals.[35]^:6

In 2016, Bangkok ranked 1st surpassing London and New York in Euromonitor International's list of "Top City Destinations" with 21 million visitors.

In 2008, Pattaya was 23rd with 4,406,300 visitors, Phuket 31st with 3,344,700 visitors, and Chiang Mai ranked 78th place with 1,604,600 visitors.[36]

In a list released by Instagram that identified the ten most photographed locations worldwide in 2012, Suvarnabhumi Airport and Siam Paragon shopping mall were ranked number one and two respectively, more popular than New York City's Times Square or Paris's Eiffel Tower.[37]

In 2019, Bangkok ranked 1st surpassing Paris and London in Mastercard's list of "Global Destination Cities Index 2019" with 22.78 million visitors. Phuket was 14th with 9.89 million visitors and Pattaya 15th with 9.44 million visitors.[38]

Panoramic view of Bangkok.

Cityscape of Bangkok from the high-rise building in Phasi Charoen District

Sathon District at night, seen from top of Banyan Tree Hotel.

Global Destination Cities Index 2019

• 
  Phuket ranked 14th with 9.89 million visitors
• 
  Pattaya ranked 15th with 9.44 million visitors
• 
  Chiang Mai with 6.38 million visitors [39]

2013–2015 Thai political unrest

At the commencement of 2014, the Thai tourist industry suffered due to the political turmoil that erupted in October 2013. A shutdown of Bangkok's governmental offices on 13 January 2014 by anti-government protesters, prompted some tourists to avoid the Thai capital. TAT estimated that arrival numbers might drop by around five percent in the first quarter of 2014, with the total number of arrivals down by 260,000 from the original projection of 29.86 million. Tourism revenue is also expected to drop slightly from 1.44 trillion.[40]

The Great Hall of Wat Luang Phor Toh in Nakhon Ratchasima province

Tourist arrivals in 2014 totalled 24.7 million, a drop of 6.6% from 2013. Revenues derived from tourism amounted to 1.13 trillion baht, down 5.8% from the previous year. Kobkarn Wattanavarangkul, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, attributed the decline to the political crisis in the first half of 2014 which dissuaded many potential visitors from visiting Thailand. Tourism officials also pointed to the dramatic fall in the value of the Russian ruble which has damaged the economies of popular Russian destinations such as Phuket and Pattaya.[41]

At the beginning of April 2015, Thailand ended martial law, to be replaced by Article 44 of the provisional constitution, granting unrestricted powers to the prime minister. The words "martial law" were toxic to foreign democracies, but, in terms of tourism, even more toxic to foreign travel insurance providers, who decline to provide insurance to those visiting nations under martial law. The tourism industry rebounded swiftly after the lifting of martial law. Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula said that the arrival of high-spending tourists from Europe and the US is expected to increase.[42]

Doi Chiang Dao mountain, Chiang Mai.

Khao Sok National Park, Surat Thani.

Thailand's popularity as a tourist destination owes a great deal to its benign climate. Thailand predominantly has a tropical wet and dry or savannah climate while the south and the eastern tip of the east have a tropical monsoon climate.[45]

Most of Thailand has three seasons:

• The cool dry season from late-November to February. Temperatures in December for Chiang Mai average around 15 Celsius at night, rising to around 28 Celsius during the day with clear sunny skies. Higher up in the mountains, temperatures may drop to near freezing at night. In Bangkok and in the central and northeastern plains of Thailand, midday temperatures during the cool dry season average around 30 Celsius and the humidity is much lower.
• The hot dry season from March to May can see daytime temperatures in the mid- to high-30s. This is the time for holding festivals (such as Songkran country wide and Rocket Festival) most celebrate in the Northeast region or the Isaan peoples living in other part of a country which favorite Rocket Festival in Roi Et province and Yasothon province to mark the coming of the rainy season.
• The rainy season from May to October has daytime temperatures in the low-30s with nighttime temperatures in the mid= to high-20s. Some areas have a relatively short rainy season, such as Ko Samui where it is typically only approximately six weeks, starting in October and running to November. Rain showers mainly occur late-afternoon or early-evening. Typically, humidity is high.

Deeper south on the Kra Isthmus with its tropical monsoon climate, daytime temperatures year-round tend to hover around 31 Celsius with only a marked increase in rainfall during the monsoons. The west coast is affected by monsoons from May to October, the southeast coast of the isthmus is affected from October to January.[46]

• 
  Similan Islands, Phang Nga
• 
  Phang Nga Bay, Phang Nga
• 
  Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands, Krabi
• 
  Ko Tarutao, Satun
• 
  Koh Tao, Surat Thani
• 
  Ko Kut, Trat

Thai women wearing Isan Modifide sinh dress for Prapheni Bun Bang Fai in Roi Et

Khon is a dance drama genre from Thailand. Khon has been performed since the Ayutthaya Kingdom.

Thailand has the distinction of being one of the leading tourism destinations in the world, renowned for its vibrant cultural heritage and natural beauty.[58] Thai culture features a number of performing arts including drama, Thai dance. Variety shows that feature a number of different theatrical arts are common in Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. The “Siam Niramit” show is the most popular Thai cultural show among tourists visiting Thailand. The Siam Niramit show attracts more and more tourists visiting Thailand each year. Theatrical performances of ancient Muay Thai boxing matches, Thai tribal dances, and puppet shows are also popular cultural attractions of Thailand.[59]

Thai officialdom's claim that foreigners visit Thailand primarily for "cultural tourism" has been mocked by critics who ask "...do we really think tourists are going to Pattaya or Phuket to watch traditional Thai dance or visit temples?... Do we really think women in revealing outfits who sit in front of the bars in Patpong would move inside and change to traditional costumes to perform Thai dances with poles?"[60]

A generation ago there were an estimated 30,000 sex workers just in Bangkok.[61] Estimates of the number of sex workers in the country as a whole have ranged up to one million.[60]

Of the 26.74 million visitors recorded by TAT in 2013, 11.23 million were men suspected by NGOs to have come to Thailand explicitly to engage in prostitution.[62] Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, named Thailand's first female tourism minister in 2014, has pledged to eradicate Thailand's sex industry. "We want Thailand to be about quality tourism. We want the sex industry gone," Ms Kobkarn told Reuters. "Tourists don't come to Thailand for sex. They come here for our beautiful culture." She has named Pattaya, with its thousands of bars, brothels, and massage parlours, her "pilot project" in the cleanup campaign.[63] Kobkarn was replaced as tourism minister in November 2017.[64]

On 21 February 2017, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that he will order the police to dismantle Pattaya's sex industry. "I don't support prostitution", said Prayut.[65]

As of 2019, with 64 accredited hospitals, Thailand is currently among the top 10 medical tourism destinations in the world. In 2017, Thailand registered 3.3 million visits by foreigners seeking specialised medical treatment. In 2018, this number grew to 3.5 million.[66][67] As of 2019 Thai medical centres are serving increasing numbers of Chinese medical tourists in tandem with increasing overall Chinese tourism.[68] All numbers reported by the government must be viewed with some skepticism according to the authors of a 2010 study. The Thai government reported that in 2006, 1.2 million medical tourists were treated in Thailand. But the 2010 study of five private hospitals that serve more than 60% of foreign medical tourists concluded that there were 167,000 medical tourists in Thailand in 2010, far below the government estimate. Most came for minor elective (cosmetic) surgery.[67]

Tom yam kung are just one of the many dishes in Thai cuisine

The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the agency aims to increase income from the gastronomy business from 20% of total tourism income forecasted for 2017 to 25% in 2018. In 2017, TAT aims for 2.77 trillion baht in tourism revenue, 20% of which is projected to come from gastronomy. In 2018, tourism revenue is expected to climb to three trillion baht, with gastronomy accounting for 750 billion baht. Thailand's 103,000 street food vendors alone generated 270 billion baht in revenues in 2017. Suvit Maesincee, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, expects the Thai street food segment to grow by six to seven percent annually.[69]

TAT, in early-2017, approved a budget of 144 million baht to commission the Michelin Guide to rate restaurants in Thailand for the five-year period 2017–2021. The first guide, Michelin Guide to Bangkok, was released on 6 December 2017. It bestowed Michelin stars on 17 Bangkok restaurants, ten of which do not serve Thai food.[70] Guides to other cities will follow.

In 2016, gastronomy was Thailand's fourth-largest tranche (20%) of tourism income, after accommodation (29%), transport (27%), and shopping and souvenirs (24%). TAT estimates that Chinese tourists spent 83.3 billion baht on food in Thailand in 2016, followed by Russians at 20.8 billion baht, Britons at 18.4 billion baht, Malaysians at 16.1 billion baht, and Americans at 13.9 billion baht.[71]

Elephant trekking has been an attraction for tourists in Thailand for decades. Ever since logging in Thailand was banned in 1989, elephants were brought into camps to put on shows for tourists and to give them rides. The Asian elephant is the main species found in elephant camps, being native to Thailand and found in the wild there. Despite this elephant being classified as endangered since 1986,[72] it continues to be an attraction for tourists.

Erawan Museum, Samut Prakan Province

History

In the early-1900s there were an estimated 100,000 domesticated or captive elephants in Thailand.[73][74] The majority of these elephants worked in the logging industry, dragging tree trunks. In 1989 the government banned logging in protected areas due to rampant deforestation—only around 30% of Thailand's forest remained.[75] Many mahouts were then unable to care for their elephants and left them in the wild. In the five years after the logging ban, tourism in Thailand rose by 28%. Elephants came back into demand and those with low economic value were placed into camps. The tourism boom gave elephants a place to work and be cared for. It increased their economic value. Today there are an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 domesticated elephants left in Thailand.[76]

Welfare

The Asian elephant, Elephas maximus is the national animal of Thailand

Among animal rights groups there has been a growing concern over elephant welfare. Elephants in Thailand have fewer health problems than those in circuses, but often their health is not robust. Overall their welfare and treatment depends on how much money their mahouts make. Elephants in larger camps have been observed in better health that those in smaller camps. Baby elephants are highly valued as they are very popular among tourists.[76] Many mahouts thus mate their female elephants. Unfortunately, natural insemination and birthing is time-consuming and expensive. An easy way around this is the illegal capture of baby elephants from wild herds. To be able to take a baby elephant from the herd, its mother needs to be killed as she will try to protect the infant. Baby elephants are then placed in artificial herds to please tourists. Elephants in these herds are often all from different provinces.[75]

Elephants can sustain injuries related to giving rides, or going on treks, with tourists. The elephant's spine is curved and not optimised to carry heavy loads. When tourists ride two at a time they can weigh over that amount. The chairs or benches often used for the tourists to sit on upon the elephant can cause abrasions and chafing on the elephant's back, sides, and torso. During treks mahouts control the elephants with hooks and can use excessive force, resulting in puncture wounds.[76]

Laws

The law pertaining to domesticated elephants is the Beast of Burden Act 2482 B.E. (1939).[77] This act classifies elephants as draught animals along with horses, donkeys, and oxen. It allows domesticated elephants to be treated as private property. This act has no additional measures for animal welfare protection.[76] The Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2535 (1992)[78] protects wild elephants, but excludes registered draught animals.[79]

Training

Common training practices include being chained, cut, stabbed, burned and hit to varying degrees. Inexperienced mahouts are more likely to further harm their elephants and beat them into submission.[76] Hooks are the common tool used to discipline and guide an elephant during treks.[75]

"Amazing Thailand" – Thailand Tourism booth at a Travel and Tour Expo

Muay Thai is the national sport of Thailand, and a trip to a stadium to witness the 'science of the eight limbs' is an essential experience for many tourists.[80] Studying Muay Thai is a main activity for Thai sports tourism, which the government promotes.[81]

In 2016, there were 11,219 British people, 6,800 Australians, and 5,852 French nationals who visited Thailand to take lessons in the classical martial art. Other significant numbers came from Germany (4,688), Sweden (4,253), Russia (2,183), Denmark (1,855), Japan (1,841), New Zealand (1,781) and Spain (1,633). Thirty-eight percent of all people signing up for Muay Thai classes chose Phuket as their study destination, 28% chose Bangkok, and 16% chose Surat Thani.[82]

There are two main stadiums in Bangkok, Rajadamnern Stadium and Lumpini Stadium, with the stadium champions at each generally considered to be the best in their weight class in Thailand. The fights at both venues are usually well-matched, featuring two highly skilled fighters of similar weight. Like most modern stadiums in Thailand, Rajadamnern allows women to fight, although Lumpini still prohibits female fighters.[80]

• Thailand travel guide from Wikivoyage

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tourism in Thailand.

• Tourism Authority of Thailand
• Thailand and the fallout from mass tourism (DW Documentary)