Thailand's economy is expected to grow by 3.0% to 3.5% this year, helped by public investments and a pick-up in the vital tourism sector, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said on Monday.
Southeast Asia's second-largest economy will continue its post-pandemic recovery as state investment projects are accelerated, he told the SEO CEO Forum.
"The economy will remain in a steady, albeit slow, recovery, and we have to ensure the recovery remains intact," he said.
Public investments are currently worth about 1 trillion baht a year, he added.
"I believe this year we will grow 3% to 3.5%, a satisfactory trend," Mr Arkhom said.
With pandemic curbs lifted, the tourism sector, a key driver of Thai growth, is expected to see 8 million to 10 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, he said.
The figures are a surge from about 428,000 foreign tourists in 2021, when the economy expanded 1.5%, among the slowest in the region. There were nearly 40 million foreign visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.
