THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: Another week and another new set of figures to show that brand Thailand as a tourist destination is so powerful and attractive that foreign tourists can’t keep away.

The latest figures come from the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) who claim that despite the empty beaches and hotel rooms, tourism is recovering at such a rapid rate that the kingdom is likely to welcome between 15.19 and 15.57 million foreign tourists this year.

TCT president Kongkrit Hiranyakit said that while the council had earlier projected a bleak outlook following the bloody military crackdown on anti-government red-shirt protesters on May 19, a sharp recovery is clearly visible.

Mr. Kongkrit said he estimates foreign arrivals in May fell by 11.1 percent compared with the same month last year, while inbound foreign tourist figures for June were down 3.1 percent over 2009 figures.

Despite this Mr. Kongkrit said, “a relatively healthy increase in the first quarter has helped offset the drop during those two months.

“During the first half of the year foreign visitor arrivals increased by 13.3 percent over the same period in 2009, with 7.49 million inbound tourists visiting the kingdom. The council expects the second half figure to be up by 2.2 to 2.7 percent to between 7.71 and 8.08 million, with total revenue from foreign tourists expected to be between Bt550 and Bt570 million (about $US17.066 and 17.687 million),” he said.

While other tourism bodies are bemoaning the lack of foreign visitors, Mr. Kongkrit said the average occupancy of hotels in key tourism areas, especially in southern and northern Thailand, was now close to the normal low-season rate of about 55 to 60 percent.

While the TCT is taking a bullish view of the market, the latest survey by Chulalongkorn University on tourism confidence found that entrepreneurs believe the industry will need four to six months for a full recovery from the lows of late May.

The up-beat view of various tourism bodies and the Thai government might sound good to local tourism operators, but the deep discounts being offered by accommodation providers across the kingdom paint a somewhat different picture.

With discounts of up to 70 percent being offered and beaches almost devoid of tourists, what it all means for visitors, or those planning a Southeast Asian holiday, is that there has never been a better time for a Thailand holiday.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for July 17, 2010