Thursday, August 22, 2024 Thai Tourism President addresses the ‘Boycott Korea’ movement, emphasizing Japan’s rising popularity among travelers as the new top destination. In a letter addressed to the Korean Cultural Center in Thailand and the Korea Tourism Organisation, Charoen Wangananont, president of the association, clarified that the remarks made by vice president Yuttachai Suntornrattanavert did not represent the official stance of the association, as reported by Korea JoongAng Daily. On August 11, Suntornrattanavert had suggested that the decline in the number of Thai tourists visiting South Korea was due to the country’s “lack of tourist attractions.
” He further noted that many popular Korean destinations owe their fame largely to extensive promotion through movies and TV shows. Korean tourism authorities have expressed concern regarding Suntornrattanavert’s comments, according to a report by the Business Korea news site. Data from the Korea Tourism Organization indicated that the number of Thai visitors to South Korea in the first half of this year dropped by 19.
1% year-on-year, with the total number of visitors being approximately 168,300. This decline is notable given Thailand’s previous status as the leading source of visitors to South Korea. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, over 572,000 Thai tourists visited South Korea in 2019.
The association’s president emphasized that the views expressed by Suntornrattanavert were his own and not reflective of .