In a stark increase from 2023, the number of tourists from India to Thailand has crossed the one-million mark between January and June this year, according to the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Kolkata.
“A total of 1,04,0069 tourists from all over India visited Thailand in just the first six months of this year,” the Thai Consul-General in Kolkata Siriporn Tantipanyathep told The Hindu on Friday. In comparison, a total of 1,628,542 Indian tourists travelled to Thailand in 2023, according to the data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
“India ranks third in the total number of tourists that visited Thailand in 2024 till now,” Ms. Tantipanyathep said, adding that the first place is taken by China, and the second place by Malaysia. She is confident that the future for India-Thailand tourism is bright and has strong potential. “I can foresee that the number of Indian tourists to Thailand will be the highest in the coming decade, and we are hopeful it will cross the two-million mark by the end of this year,” she said.
Notably, according to the data in June, India houses five of the ten highest revenue-generating flight routes of Thailand’s flag carrier airline, Thai Airways International, according to the airline’s India Team Lead Natpawee Rattanakat.
The Thai Consul-General attributed Thailand’s popularity among Indian travellers to a range of factors, including proximity, accessibility and affordability. “For instance, Bangkok is just two and half hours from Kolkata. The Thai Airways routes from Kolkata are always fully booked,” Ms. Tantipanyathep said.
The Thai Government’s extension of Tourist Visa Exemption for Indian Nationals until November 11, 2024 has also contributed to the high number of tourists this year according to Ms. Tantipanyathep. She also highlighted how young professionals — “both millennials and GenZ” — are some of the most common Indian demographic travelling to Thailand. “You can travel comfortably in Thailand even on a budget, and that appeals to young travellers the most,” she said.
The Thai Consul-General also pointed out that there are a large number of Thai tourists who travel to India every year, mostly to visit the Buddhist circuit in Bodhgaya, Nalanda and other places. “This is the land of the Buddha. Buddhist pilgrims come to pay homage to the Buddha,” she emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Maldives in Kolkata Mr. Ram Krishnna Jaiswal mentioned that tourism from India to Maldives dropped owing to a diplomatic row between the two nations earlier this year. “However, the numbers of tourists from India were on the rise, despite a drop earlier this year,” he said. “I don’t think tourism has anything to do with the politics of any country. Tourism is booming yet again, and the friendship between the two countries is only getting stronger.”
Commenting on the bilateral relations between India and Maldives following the diplomatic row between the two nations earlier this year, the Honorary Consul said, “There was some confusion during that time, and things have been ironed out… Maldive-India friendship is only going to grow by leaps and bounds.”
He added that direct flight routes from Kolkata to Male are in the works. “I had written a letter to the former Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia when he held the portfolio, about the lack of a direct flight route between Kolkata and Male. He had assured me that due diligence had been taken care of, and that only the business viability is to be explored by the airlines,” Mr. Jaiswal said. He emphasised that he will continue working on establishing Kolkata-Male direct flights with the newly-appointed Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu.
Sanjiv Agarwal, who organised this year’s Travel and Tourism Fair in Kolkata highlighted that as far as international travel is concerned, there is a strong visible trend among tourists in Bengal to travel to countries with limited visa requirements. “Bengal-based tourists are eager to travel during Durga Puja, hence travelling to visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries is a strong emerging trend. This market is looking at new destinations like Sri Lanka, owing to long visa wait times for countries like the US and in Europe,” he said.
He added that Bengal is a unique market for tourism owing to the strong desire for travel in people from all classes, with itineraries of various sizes and budgets. “Most of them travel during Durga Puja, in the fall season, which is not a traditional travel season anywhere else in the country. Many in the industry call it the ‘Bengali season’,” he said.
According to Mr. Agarwal, Bengalis are also taking an interest in exploring the Ramayana circuit, which includes not just Ayodhya, but also Sitamarhi and Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar, and Janakpur and Valmiki Ashram in Nepal. “In such places, families can combine all kinds of experiences. Youngsters can indulge in adventure, and older people can find solace in the temples,” he said.
