Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Surasak Phancharoenworakul, recently met with representatives from both the public and private sectors during a visit to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, where he outlined the Ministry's five key tourism development policies to revitalize the industry and drive long-term growth.

The five policies are as follows:

•Merging the Ministry of Tourism and Sports with the Ministry of Culture to strengthen Thailand's cultural appeal, uniqueness, and national identity — laying the foundation for a more distinctive and cohesive tourism brand.

•Leveraging the merger to maximize tourism's contribution to economic growth, turning cultural assets into tangible revenue opportunities for the country.

•Introducing a foreign tourist fee to support the Thailand Tourism Fund, with proceeds directed toward improving tourist care, safety, and the skills of Thailand's tourism workforce.

•Exploring a proposed departure tax on outbound Thai travelers on international flights to encourage domestic travel and support local communities, with both potential benefits and trade-offs currently under review.

•Redistributing tourism more evenly across the country by reducing over-concentration in major destinations and shining a spotlight on secondary cities and lesser-known areas.

Balancing economic ambition with cultural identity and community development, Thailand appears poised to write a bolder, more sustainable chapter in its tourism story.