The number of tourists in Thailand could exceed pre-pandemic levels next year

The company is “optimistic” about 39 million arrivals next year due to the Thai government’s visa waiver schemes and an expected increase in flight capacity to the Southeast Asian country, said CEO Omri Morgenshtern.

The forecast for a continued recovery in arrivals reflects the views of several Thai agencies and ministries and bodes well for the tourism-dependent economy. The country has already seen a surge in tourist numbers after the industry was devastated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Unless there is some external event that we cannot foresee and unless we do something wrong, I think there is a chance that we will exceed the number of tourists arriving in Thailand in 2019,” Morgenshtern told reporters in Bangkok on Wednesday. “Our data suggests that Thailand is highly addictive. About 46 percent of the travelers we see come for a second, third or fourth time.”

Thailand is Agoda’s second-largest destination for repeat visitors after Japan, Morgenshtern said. Agoda is part of US-based Booking Holdings Inc.

More than 29 million tourists have visited the country so far this year, which is on track to meet the Thai government’s target of 36.7 million tourists for the entire year. In 2019, Thailand saw a record number of foreign arrivals – almost 40 million – generating $60 billion in revenue.