The Thai government recently set an ambitious target to welcome 40 million visitors in 2025, in a bid by the tourism industry to regain momentum lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The plan aims to attract more visitors to lesser-known destinations, expand flight capacity and do more to promote Thai culture.
Gary Bowerman, a tourism analyst based in Kuala Lumpur, said the target would not just benefit Thailand economically.
“For Thailand, it would be a psychological milestone to surpass 40 million visitors as it would almost certainly have done so in 2020, if not for COVID,” he told DW.
“Had arrivals continued to grow in 2020 and onward, it is likely Thailand would have reached or be close to its actual ceilings for arrivals…