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Tourism in Thailand

Overview

400px|thumb|An "open air" bar in Bangkok
The tourism industry in Thailand truly took off when US soldiers started to arrive in the 1960s for Rest and Recuperation (R&R) during the Vietnam war period.http://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/56779/1/KJ00000132246.pdf Coinciding, international mass tourism sharply increased during the same period due to the rising standard of living, more people acquiring more free time and due to improvements in technology making it possible to travel further, faster, cheaper and in greater numbers, epitomised by the Boeing 747 which first flew commercially in 1970. Thailand was one of the major players in Asia to capitalise on this then-new trend.

Tourist numbers have grown from 336,000 foreign visitors and 54,000 R&R soldiers in 1967 to over 14 million international guests visiting Thailand in 2007. The average duration of their stay in 2007 was 9.19 days, generating an estimated 547,782 million Thai baht, around 11 billion Euro. In 2006, Thailand was the 18th most visited country in the World Tourism rankings with 13.9 million visitors. France, comparable to Thailand in size and population, led the list with over 79 million foreign tourists.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 55% of the tourists in 2007 came from the Asia Pacific region, Japanese and Malaysians forming the two biggest groups. The largest groups of Western tourists come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, the United States and Scandinavia. The number of tourists arriving from the Middle East and Russia is on the rise. Around 55% of Thailand's tourists are return visitors. The peak period is during the Christmas and New Year holidays when Western tourists flee the cold conditions back home.

Domestic tourism has also grown significantly in the past decade. Revenues from domestic tourism have gone from 187,898 million baht in 1998 to 380,417 million baht (approximately 7.8 billion Euro) in 2007.

Asian tourists primarily visit Thailand for Bangkok and the historical, natural and cultural sights in its vicinity. Western tourists not only visit Bangkok and surroundings but in addition many travel down to the southern beaches and islands. The North is the main region for trekking and adventure travel with its diverse ethnic minority groups and forested mountains. The region receiving less tourists is Isan in the north-east. To facilitate foreign visitors, the Thai government established a separate tourism police with offices in the major tourist areas and its own central emergency telephone number.

It can't be denied that sex tourism also contributes to arrival numbers. Although officially illegal, prostitution in Thailand is monitored and regulated by the government to stem the spread of STD's and to prevent excesses. Prostitution catering to foreigners is believed to be around 20% of the total prostitution scene in Thailand, and is concentrated in a few major red-light districts such as Pattaya, Patpong and Patong Beach.

Thailand has been receiving increased competition ever since Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam opened up to international tourism in the 1980s and 90s. Destinations like Angkor Wat, Luang Prabang and Halong Bay now contest Thailand's former monopoly in the Indochina region. To counter this, Thailand is actively targeting niche markets such as golf holidays, or holidays combined with medical treatment. Around 2 million foreigners visiting Thailand for medical treatment are expected in 2009, more than 3 times the amount of tourist visiting for that purpose in 2002.

The present monetary crisis, the 2008–2009 Thai political crisis and the 2009 flu pandemic have had a very negative impact on foreign tourism to Thailand. Compared to last year June, arrivals for June 2009 at Suvarnabhumi airport have been down nearly 23%. The expected number of foreign tourists for 2009 has been reduced from 14.1 million to 11 million. Hotel occupancy rates have dropped dramatically in the major tourist destinations such as Bangkok (52.7% occupancy), Chiang Mai (43% occupancy), Hua Hin (57.4% occupancy) and Phuket (60.8% occupancy). Due to the slowdown, prices for accommodation have dropped around 30% compared to a year ago. The Thai government proposed a support package to combat the tourism crisis, amounting to 5 billion Thai baht spread over a 5 year period. These measures include loans to small tourism operators. The TAT also have launched campaigns to further stimulate international and domestic tourism. Mrs. Juthaporn Rerngronasa, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications of the TAT: "Basically, our strategy is to inform potential visitors that they can have a worry-free vacation while enjoying all the value and charm that Thailand has to offer. Thai people remain warm and smiling, and now is the time to experience all the things visitors love about Thailand".

The main marketing slogans for promoting Thailand internationally is "Amazing Thailand" and the newly launched "Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value".

Attractions

left|thumb|200px|Thai cuisine/" class="wiki">Phat Thai is one of the most well known dishes of Thai cuisine
Thailand offers a great variety of attractions. These include diving sites, sandy beaches, hundreds of tropical islands, varied night-life, archaeological sites, museums, hill tribes, exceptional flora and bird life, palaces, a huge amount of Buddhist temples and several World Heritage sites. Many tourists follow courses during their stay in Thailand. Popular are classes in Thai cooking, Buddhism and traditional Thai massage. Thai national festivals range from the fun-for-all water splashing Songkran to the almost fairytale like quality of Loy Krathong. Many localities in Thailand also have their own festivals. Famous are the "Elephant Round-up" in Surin, the "Rocket Festival" in Yasothon and the curious "Phi Ta Khon" festival in Dan Sai.
Thai cuisine has become deservedly famous worldwide with its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices. From an inexpensive plate of delicious Som tam at a simple street stall upcountry to a modern take on Thai cuisine in the gourmet restaurants of Bangkok, it's very difficult not to eat well in Thailand.

Only the most austere ascetics can resist shopping when in Thailand. Bangkok is renowned for its main shopping malls down town (with CentralWorld being the biggest shopping mall in South-east Asia), offering an astounding variety of international and local brands. Towards the north of the city, and easily reached by skytrain or underground, is "Chatuchak Weekend Market". It is possibly the largest market in the world, selling everything from household items to live, and sometimes endangered, animals. The "Pratunam Market" downtown, is nearly totally specialised in fabrics and clothing. The night markets in the Silom area and on Khaosan Road are mainly tourist orientated, selling items such as T-shirts, handicrafts, counterfeit watches and sunglasses. In the vicinity of Bangkok one can find several visually stunning floating markets such as the one in Damnoen Saduak. The "Sunday Evening Walking Street Market", held on Rachadamnoen road inside the old city, must be the shopping highlight of a visit to Chiang Mai up in northern Thailand. It attracts many locals as well as foreigners. The "Night Bazaar" is Chiang Mai's more tourist orientated market, sprawling over several city blocks just east of the old city walls towards the river.

Climate

right|thumb|200px|Mahya Beach at Ko Phi Phi Lee
Thailand predominantly has a tropical wet and dry or savannah climate while the South and the eastern tip of the East have a tropical monsoon climate.

Most of Thailand experiences three seasons:

The cool dry season from November till February is most excellent up north with temperatures in December for Chiang Mai averaging around 15 Celsius at night time and going up to around 28 Celsius during daytime with clear sunny skies. Higher up in the mountains, temperatures can even drop down to near freezing at night. In Bangkok and in the central and north-eastern plains of Thailand, midday temperatures during the cool dry season average around 30 Celsius.

The hot dry season from March till May can see daytime temperatures in the mid to high 30s. This is the time for holding festivals (such as Songkran and Rocket Festival) to mark the coming of the rainy season.

The rainy season from May to October has daytime temperatures in the low 30s with night-time temperatures in the mid to high 20s. Rain showers occur mainly late in the afternoon or early in the evening.

Deeper south on the Kra Isthmus with its tropical monsoon climate, daytime temperatures the year round tend to hover around 31 Celsius with only a marked increase in rainfall during the monsoons. The west coast is affected by monsoon from May to October, the south-east coast of the isthmus is affected from October to January.