Thai tourism entrepreneurs are avoiding from being impacted by the European economic slump by placing more emphasis on Asian markets, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT).
Although the overall number of foreign tourists coming to Thailand has been on the rise this year, TCT Chairman Kongkrit Hiranyakit indicated that the proportion of European visitors was expected to shrink in the fourth quarter with a growth rate of only 5 percent year-on-year, as opposed to the previous target of 10-15 percent. He then urged entrepreneurs to keep a close watch on the expansion of the tourist number next year as well as the strength of Thai tourism.
Amid the current volatility in European economies, the TCT Chairman pointed out that a number of tour operators had decided to shift their interest to Asian markets while many had already set up offices in Asian countries like China, India and South Korea. The move is aimed at avoiding risks from European markets and compensate for the lower number of European customers.
http://bangkokscoop.com/2011/09/22/thai-tourism-entrepreneurs-shift-their-interest-to-asian-markets/
source: http://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news.php?id=255409210014