BANGKOK, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thailand is aiming to drive tourism growth by leveraging its rich culture and history as a soft power in an ambition to gain 3.5 trillion baht (99 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue this year.
Under seven key policies, Tourism and Sports Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said the Southeast Asian country planned to revitalize its two industries through a variety of initiatives, including promoting Thai sports and cultural events.
In addition to the cultural soft power as a driving force for tourism, the ministry will focus on shifting the industry from quantity to quality-centric, promoting year-round tourist destinations and community events to draw more visitors to second-tier cities, Sudawan said in a statement on Wednesday.
She noted that the ministry will work on safety and hospitality by enforcing the law and cracking down on exploitation and fraud. The kingdom will also work with local communities to develop sustainable tourism practices and strengthen ties with other Southeast Asian countries to promote tourism within the region.
For sports, the ministry will make the activity more accessible to people of all ages and abilities by developing sports infrastructure and promoting sports education, along with preparing the nation as a host for international sporting events, she added.
According to the ministry, Thailand aims to boost its contribution to the global sports market to 1 percent, or 455.80 billion baht (about 12.81 billion dollars), by the end of the year from the current 0.58 percent.
Thailand beat the target of receiving 28 million foreign tourists in 2023, but the 2 trillion baht (about 56.21 billion dollars) in tourism revenue fell short of the expected 2.38 trillion baht (about 66.89 billion dollars), the ministry said. ■
