The tourist industry in Thailand is one of our most important sources of income as a nation, accounting for as much as 19.3 percent of our GDP – to a value of 2.3 trillion baht. To put this in perspective, the global average for a country’s tourism income is 9 percent of GDP, so Thailand is more than twice as prosperous as the global average when it comes to attracting foreign visitors.

A Boost in Tourism from Australia

Thanks to the almost universal appeal of beautiful regions like Pattaya, as well as the fact that Thai culture and food is appreciated the world over, it is no surprise that Thailand sees tourists from just about everywhere in the world visiting. It is interesting to note the trends that see more people from a given country choosing Thailand as a destination, however, and this is something that a study of travel statistics for the years up to 2016 revealed has been happening with travellers from Australia.

Thailand has long been a place Australian travellers want to see, however in the years since 2005 tourism from Australia to Thailand has increased by an enormous 194 percent.

Thailand has also risen from being the 7th most popular destination for Australians to the 5th, moving above China and Fiji in the ratings.

Why Are More Australians Choosing Thailand?

Thailand has plenty to offer that Australian tourists look for, including good bargain shopping, beautiful beach regions, and interesting culture. It has become one of the top non-English speaking countries for Australians to visit, and along with Indonesia tends to be their first choice if they want to travel somewhere with a very different culture to Australia’s (the other destinations are the USA, the UK and New Zealand). This may well be thanks to Thailand’s experience in providing a good experience for Western tourists and marketing campaigns by the Thai tourist industry.

Another factor may be that Australia has seen some depreciation in its currency in the past couple of years, as can be seen if you look at forex stats on day trading sites. While the Thai baht is strong against the Australian dollar, too, it has not become as significantly more expensive for Australians as other currencies like the Japanese yen or US dollar have, and this may be a deciding factor too for finance savvy Australian travellers.
The boom in tourism from Australia is certainly good news for Thailand, and long may it continue.

By Andre Jackson