Tourism is big business in the Asia-Pacific, with its tropical beaches and iconic cuisines driving people from the continent and across the world to its nations.
From 2009 to 2019, tourism numbers only continued to surge, with The World Bank stating that China has the largest share – as is to be expected of such a vast nation. In third in the rankings, nestled between Hong Kong and gambling hub Macao, is Thailand, per these 2019 figures.
Well ahead of the likes of Japan, neighbours Malaysia, and even Singapore, Thailand continues to be a huge draw for tourism in the Asia-Pacific. However, as attractive as the country is for a holiday or short trip, are nearby nations showing a new way to increase revenues and tourist appeal that Thailand should, perhaps, look to incorporate?
The state-of-play for Thai tourism
There are so many great things to do in Thailand, with the country appealing to just about any form of tourist: be it for relaxation, nature, exploration, or the foodies. Between 2017 and 2019, tourists visiting the country rose from 35.35 million to nearly 40 million, showcasing its broad appeal. As laid out in this Wanderlust list, the top things to do include going to the elephant rescue park, the Golden Triangle, and the floating markets.
Fastest-growing region for gambling in the world
Source: Unsplash
In Thailand, a key tourist-driving entertainment medium is predominantly kept online – casino gaming. Being online-based, online casino gaming isn’t exactly something that tourists will visit to experience, but it is an industry that is contributing to the economy of the country.
People can get involved in the online casino scene with the easy 188BET download available on the Thai-language site, but the allure greatly comes from the casino venues just over the borders in Cambodia, Laos, and, to a lesser extent, further south in Malaysia.
It’s been laid out in the SBCEvents analysis of gambling regions around the world that Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing. This is said to boil down to the huge national profits where there are existing gambling venues within borders, as well as for those operating offshore, which also prove to be popular even in the stricter nations. As shown above, Thailand has so many tremendous attractions that people pick it as their destination, but natives and tourists both like to pop over the border for casino action.
Why’s Thailand so appealing in the region?
A concerted effort has been made by the government of Thailand to make the country as appealing as possible to tourists. Perhaps the most notable element of the experience is the variety of attractions built around incredibly affordable accommodation options. Looking at a map of tourist-centric venues, it’s clear that hospitality and infrastructures such as entertainment venues and hotels are built to draw tourists as close as possible to the main attractions.
Those main attractions are, undoubtedly, the forests, animals, and stunning beaches. If there’s somewhere on a bucket list website or in an Instagram post, you can bet that Thailand has a clear-cut way of getting to it and, more often than not, have affordable accommodation nearby or near enough to the access. Historical sites, temples, palaces, and iconic streets are also huge draws for tourism in Thailand, with eateries being sure to set up nearby to offer the authentic, world-famous tastes of Thailand.
Thailand has so much to offer visitors, even if, for a fan-favourite, you’d either have to go online or hop across the border.
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