The cabinet on Tuesday approved a blueprint for tourism development over the course of the next five years, with a plan to push for Thailand to be among the world's top wellness destinations among several ambitious goals.
Deputy government spokeswoman, Traisulee Taisaranakul, said the cabinet had approved its third national tourism development plan for 2023-2027.
The plan will serve as a guideline for relevant agencies at national and local levels to map out action plans for tourism development, Ms Traisulee said.
The plan will be used as a framework for post-pandemic tourism development, with measures to resolve problems, revitalise and prepare the industry for the path to the "next normal".
The plan will be carried out at the national level by the National Tourism Policy Committee, at the cluster level by tourism cluster development committees, as well as by local networks and community enterprises, she said.
"The plan's vision is to rebuild a high-value tourism industry with resilience, sustainability and inclusive growth," she said.
Key performance indicators for the plan include tourism contributing at least 25% to GDP and at least 3,000 tourism businesses and tourist spots being certified each year. Other indicators include tourist spending increasing by 5% per year and the country being ranked among the top 35 countries under the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, she said.
Ms Traisulee said the plan comprises four strategies that will be implemented to achieve the intended results.
The first strategy is to build resilience in the tourism industry, with measures to distribute tourism income to all areas possible while stopping the negative impacts of tourism leakage, which is when revenue generated through tourism leaves the local economy and instead ends up in the pockets of foreign companies.
The strategy is also aimed at promoting a balance in demand and supply in tourism, with income growth in 12 fields of tourism projected at 4.5% by 2027 and about 12,500 SMEs in the tourism sector to upgrade their goods and services by 2027.
The second strategy is to develop the fundamentals of the tourism sector to strive for quality in tourism, such as improving safety and hygienic standards, upgrading digital and information infrastructure and supporting the use of tourism economic data to formulate relevant national policies.
The third strategy involves improving the tourism experience, such as focusing on promoting tourism that caters to high-end visitors, launching proactive marketing campaigns, and using technologies and innovations to attract quality tourists. Among the key performance indicators for this is Thailand's ranking among the top five global wellness travel destinations, Ms Traisulee said.
The fourth strategy involves promoting sustainable tourism, such as supporting efforts to preserve the natural environment and tourist destinations and preserving Thai culture and tradition. Under the strategy, the use of technologies will be encouraged for tourism management. Key performance indicators include an annual 2% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions each year.
