"Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson", the new Minister of Tourism, officially took on his duties on the first day. Announcement to attract 40 million tourists to Thailand within 4 years.
Miss Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson New Minister of Tourism and Sports He is considered to be the youngest minister in the Settha Cabinet at the age of 41, traveling to perform duties in his official position on the first day. at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports He arrived at 12:39 p.m. and then went to pay homage to the Phra Bhumi Thewa Shrine. Sacred things of the Ministry The welcoming atmosphere was lively. There are government agencies, private agencies, and executives of tourism and sports agencies. Many joined in congratulating, such as Ms. Thapanee Kiatpaiboon. Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand Including Mr. Phatiyuth Jaisawang, Acting Director General of MCOT Public Company Limited, also came to present flowers to congratulate Ms. Sudawan on the occasion of her appointment.
Ms. Sudawan said that the Ministry of Tourism and Sports It is one of the ministries that drive the Thai economy. By being ready and committed to speeding up work according to the policies set by the Prime Minister. Especially to revive tourism. Draw the main group of tourists into Thailand at the end of the year. It started with the introduction of a visa-free policy for tourists from China and Kazakhstan, which the Cabinet approved. Starting from 25 September 2023 - 29 February 2024 in time for the long holiday during China's National Day. Including the Chinese New Year festival in early 2024, this measure is a convenience for tourists from both countries. They do not need to apply for a visa to travel to Thailand.
As for the reason that Why do it have to be these two countries? First, Chinese tourists are the number one visitor to Thailand. Kazakhstan is in Europe and has severe winter conditions. From statistics, it is a country where people continually want to travel to Thailand. which is predicted that The visa-free policy will attract about 700,000 Chinese tourists/month from October to December to meet the target of 5 million people. The situation will be assessed every month.
And at the end of this month will travel to China. In addition to supporting Thai athletes competing in the Asian Games, Will use this opportunity to talk with the Chinese authorities. Building confidence among the Chinese authorities and the Chinese people that traveling to Thailand is still safe After there has been a constant stream of negative news about Thailand. Until it affects tourists who don't dare to travel to Thailand.
In the next phase of policy After the visa free policy expires Will stimulate tourism by organizing events. Pull big events Come to organize in Thailand Including stimulating domestic tourism. It aims to bring back 40 million tourists, in line with the original target before COVID-19 occurred. and tourism income of 3 trillion baht, which increased from 1.9 trillion baht in 2019 within 4 years.
In addition, the Minister of Tourism He also answered questions about budget problems to support the MotoGP event, saying that there were no problems with the budget in the preliminary discussions. can manage Just have to work quickly. Because time is getting tighter. It's already been planned. But it must be done immediately. Although the minister has just arrived But orders have already been given and emphasized on this matter. Various budgets It's in the plan submitted to the Cabinet, just waiting for everything to be clear. In the initial discussion, it was confirmed that there was no problem. – Thai News Agency
Source: Thai News Agency