Why is the Thai government turning to Indians for tourism?

Thailand has turned to India for tourism and has also slashed the prices after numerous rooms and hotels in the tiny country wore a deserted look due to the lack of Chinese tourists amidst the ongoing trade war with the United States.

Tourism contributes to around 18 per cent of GDP in Thailand and with the dramatic dip in Chinese tourists, the country is scrambling to keep the revenue coming in. For this, they have turned to Indians to keep the GDP stable. According to AFP, the Chinese comprise a quarter of total arrivals in the country.

Records estimate that 2.2 million Chinese population visited Thailand in 2018 but the tourists from the country dropped by a fifth between January and September of this year.

The ongoing trade war between the US and China has made the Chinese hesitant to leave home due to the brewing uncertainty and in addition to this, the Thai baht has only strengthened and has risen 10 per cent against the Yuan this year.

This is the case across the country including resorts in Phuket, Pattaya and the Koh Samui.

An anonymous source told AFP that those part of the tourism industry is worried about the slowdown since tourism also creates jobs for many in the country.

So how is Thailand pegging their hopes on India?

The Thai tourism industry saw a 25 per cent increase of Indian tourists between January and July in 2019 compared to the total number of tourists the previous year and hence the authorities remain hopeful that things will turn around for the better for them.

The explosion of the middle class, affordable airfare and the slashed prices in hotels and resort are some of the features the Thai tourism industry is banking on to entice Indians to the country.