Ecotourism gives impetus to tourism
Some 800,000 foreign tourists last year came to Thailand with the specific purpose of visiting villages, natural sites, communities, and hilltribes across the Kingdom, while more than 2 million Thai tourists also pursued these interests. They mingled well with like-minded travellers who cherished the “ecotourism” theme. These destinations appealed mainly to visitors from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Scandinavia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The number of foreign ecotourism visitors is expected to reach 1 million within the next year or two. While Thailand enjoys being one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the world, with nearly 30 million foreign visitors per year, the country now is attempting to embark on a new era in the adventure and ecotourism segment.