Kanchanaburi is seeing an uptick in tourism with hotel occupancy reaching 67.3% in the first nine months of this year, and at least 11 million local and foreign visitors generating 28 billion baht in revenue, according to governor Athisan Intra.
The improvement in tourism is helping to offset a slowdown in trade at the Thai-Myanmar border because of an increase in armed skirmishes in the neighbouring country. This has affected activity at the Phu Namron permanent border checkpoint as well as the Three Pagodas Pass crossing, he said.
Most of the foreign tourists to the western province come from China, followed by India, South Korea, Russia and Malaysia, thanks to a new public relations initiative that targets sports enthusiasts, wellness-focused visitors and travel influencers.
Mr Athisan delivered the update when he hosted a recent meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking to discuss border trade control and economic management.
Economic activity in Kanchanaburi in August was markedly slower compared to the same period last year, he told the panel.
He updated members on exports of fuel, necessities and industrial goods via the Thai-Myanmar border, along with imports of manufacturing raw materials, minerals and agricultural products from Myanmar.
The meeting also discussed the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s ‘Trusted Thailand’ certification for local operators of hotels, restaurants, department stores and tourism sites.
The certification is part of the TAT’s Thailand Safe Travel Stamp scheme, which aims to boost confidence in the tourism industry. The initiative focuses on general safety measures, payment safety, international communication ability and communication safety among operators and businesses.
Mr Athisan encouraged local operators to apply for the Trusted Thailand sign to help create trust among visitors to Kanchanaburi.