Bank optimistic about tourism

The Bank of Thailand says the country’s tourism industry will continue to expand despite a financial crisis in Europe. BoT’s Macroeconomic and Monetary Policy Department senior director, Mathee Supapongse, said travel and hotel sectors recorded constant growth in June, when about 160,000 foreign holiday-makers visited the country. The number represented a 10.1% year-on-year growth. “Visitors to every region of Thailand have increased, with Chinese and Vietnamese visitors topping the list.” Mr Mathee credited the continued growth of the Asian economy for the buoyant situation in the travel sector. Concerning the country’s hotel occupancy rate, he said an average of 53.5% in June, up from 49.7% from the same month last year was an acceptable result. For the second quarter of 2012, around 4.9 million overseas travellers visited Thailand, an on-year increase of 9.2%, with most visitors coming from within the Southeast Asia. This was  in spite of the bombings in Hat Yai and earthquake scares in the South, in March and April, respectively. The BoT’s senior director has also affirmed that the debt crisis in Eurozone has not affected Thailand’s major money-spinner so far. BoT: Hotel occupancy rates, nationwide, first half of 2012 From ttrweekly