BANGKOK: Thailand celebrated the arrival of its 10 millionth international visitor of 2022 on Saturday, according to the tourism authority, as the kingdom consolidated the recovery of its Covid-battered travel sector.

Thailand welcomed some 40 million people in 2019, but then the pandemic hit and travel was decimated as nations tightened border controls to contain the coronavirus.

With those restrictions easing worldwide Thai­land’s travel numbers have begun a slow recovery and the government expects to generate nearly $16 billion in tourism revenue this year.

Traditional dancers and drummers at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Saturday welcomed passengers arriving on a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight that authorities be­lieve clocked the 10-million milestone.

“The sky is open,” Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said in a speech at the airport.

“We would like to build confidence that Thailand is still one of the (top) tourist destinations of people around the world.” Finance minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said this week that visitor numbers were expected to grow next year too. Government figures suggest Thailand would welcome roughly 23 million tourists in 2023, while some analysts believe a full recovery in tourist numbers could happen in 2024.

Thai hotel owners and restauranteurs have breathed a sigh of relief as business has slowly picked up.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2022