The Thai tourism industry hit a new record with the
arrival of the 29 millionth visitor today (16 December 2015), surpassing the projected target of
28.8 million and still counting.
Ms. Elena Slobodian, from Russia Federation, the 29 millionth tourist, also dubbed ‘Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor’, was greeted at Suvarnabhumi Airport with a warm welcoming ceremony by senior executives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Airports of Thailand (AOT), the Immigration Bureau, Thai Airways International and True Corporation.
Ms. Elena Slobodian, from Russia Federation, the 29 millionth tourist, also dubbed ‘Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor’, was greeted at Suvarnabhumi Airport with a warm welcoming ceremony by senior executives of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Airports of Thailand (AOT), the Immigration Bureau, Thai Airways International and True Corporation.
Ms. Elena Slobodian was pleasantly surprised to receive
two economy-class return tickets on Thai Airways from her original destination
to Thailand, valid for one year; a voucher for a five-night stay at luxury
accommodation; a mobile phone with a 4G sim-card and seven-day Internet usage
for use during the trip; as well as the “Thailand’s Luckiest Visitor”
certificate from TAT.
Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for
International Marketing (Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas), Tourism
Authority of Thailand said, “This historic achievement is a tribute to all
those who work in travel and tourism, all the way from the rank and file
employees at the grassroots level up to the senior executives. Our visitors and
guests visit Thailand because of their confidence in our ability to deliver
quality services with impressive total experiences. And it is the hospitality
of the Thai people who make this possible.”
She added, “We would like to thank each and every visitor
who came to Thailand. This year, travel and tourism has truly proven to be an
economic mainstay for the entire kingdom. With the ASEAN Economic Community
(AEC) set to be launched, there is every reason to believe that Thai travel and
tourism will retain its importance as a source of jobs, economic livelihood and
income distribution.”
According to the preliminary figures released by the
Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Thailand welcomed a total of 28.3 million
visitors during 1 January – 16 December 2015. This generates 1.357 trillion
baht tourism revenue.