Between January 1 and May 24 this year, 100,884 Indian nationals entered the Kingdom, according to the Thailand Pass entry registration system. Since the Test & Go requirements were scrapped on May 1, an average of some 3,000 Indian nationals have been entering Thailand every day.
Visitors from the United Kingdom have been the second-largest group this year, with 89,745 arrivals, followed by Germany (74,104), the United States (66,036), and Malaysia (62,192).
As Beijing remains firm with its “zero Covid” policy and bans outbound tourists, India will likely replace China as Thailand’s top tourism market, Thanet said.
“The Chinese government has made no clear move regarding outbound tourists. So, TAT needs to find new markets. India has the potential to be a replacement [for China] as the country has a large population and several flights to Thailand,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said he did not expect China to allow outbound tourists anytime soon, due to its strict “zero Covid” policy. That was why the Thai tourism operators were looking at other markets, he added.
“Thai tourism businesses are seeking opportunities in other Asian markets, like India, Vietnam and South Korea,” Sisdivachr said.