>>214244285
>So it varies between 9% to 20%, according to Wikipedia and your own government statistics?
>he unironically believes wikipedia.
even in 2019, which was a record year for tourist arrivals in history, the tourism revenue reported by the ministry of tourism amounted to a mere 50 billion usd. that figure represents less than 10% of that year's gdp (and it's important to remember that the ministry has an incentive to inflate its numbers for appearances' sake).
(moreover, thailand's tourist numbers only really ballooned after 2013, largely due to an influx of chink tourist. before that, like back in the 90s, a smaller country like taiwan actually welcomed more tourists than thailand did.)
while it's true that 9% of GDP is a huge chunk of economy, but it's incredibly stupid to assume that the country's middle-income trap is caused by tourism, especially when 65%-70% of gdp comes from exports. the export sector is many times larger than tourism. only a retard would believe that tourism is the primary reason.
> According to the secretary-general of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council in 2019, projections indicate the tourism sector will account for 30% of GDP by 2030, up from 20% in 2019
LMAO BS. you would be incredibly foolish and naive not to know that ministers from every ministry are constantly spouting unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky figures. this is especially true for a minister at that time, who came from a military junta.
I clearly remember that around that same time, this very minister even claimed he would completely eradicate sex tourism from the country. I certainly hope you're not foolish enough to believe them this time, too.
