Tourist arrivals to Thailand could reach 8.15 million during the third quarter.

Tourism Council of Thailand estimates international tourist arrivals to Thailand could reach 8.15 million during the third quarter, July to September, generating THB399,235 million in revenue.

Speaking at the council’s press conference, Tuesday, TCT president Ittirit Kinglek said Thailand was still value for money for travellers due to the increase in low-cost airline services that have cut travel costs substantially.

“China remains the major source market for the country’s tourism industry … arrivals should surpass 10 million visits compared to 7.93 million last year…in Q3, Chinese tourist arrivals are projected to reach 2.68 million visits an increase of 27.09%.”

Chinese visits in Q1 reached 2.63 million, while in Q2 they reached 2.46 million.

Across all supply markets, Q3 should generate 8.15 million international visits up 11.49% over the same period last year.

Of that, 3.97 million will come from East Asia (+25.92%), 2.09 million from ASEAN (+7.0%) and 1.11 million from Europe (+3.40%).

“Tourism will continue to be positive this year…by year-end we expect to welcome 33.87 million visits up 13.35% and generating THB1.71 trillion in tourism revenue, a 17.83% increase over last year,” the president projected.

Despite TCT’s optimism, the latest Thailand Tourism Confidence Index indicated a level of 95 in Q3 compared to the confidence benchmark of 100. The index is based on data from 600 tour agencies.

“The slowdown in the confidence index is due to tourism operators worrying about the country’s economy condition and the world economy. Q3 is also the low tourism season,” he said.

To develop the country’s tourism competitiveness, the president suggested the government should organise festivals at tourist attractions seasonally and promote secondary destinations including potential markets such as sports tourism, medical tourism and MICE (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition).

Tourism operators, should develop stronger service standards particularly safety measures.

Last year, the kingdom attracted 29.88 million international visits, an increase of 20.44% from 24.80 million visits in 2014. Tourism earnings reached THB1.44 trillion, up 23.39% from THB1.17 trillion in 2014, according to Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ data.