KResearch:Thai exports to India should keep growing

BANGKOK, March 1 (TNA) - The Kasikorn Research Center (KResearch) says that Thai exports to India should keep growing this year, so should the number of Indian tourist arrivals in the Thai Kingdom. According to a latest KReseach report released on February 28, Thai exports to India should further grow by 3.3-5.3 per cent year-on-year in 2019, totally worth about 7.85-8 billion US dollars. For the number of Indian tourist arrivals in Thailand this year, the Bangkok-based private think tank projected that it should reach 1.70-1.74 million, about 6.7-8.7 per cent year-on-year increase, with their spending during their visits to the Thai Kingdom expected to stand about 76.68-78.10 billion baht, an increase of 7.2-9.2 per cent year-on-year. The KResearch's positive projections were part of its assessment that the re-emerging territorial dispute in Kashmir between India and Pakistan should have limited negative impacts on the Thai export and tourism sectors, reasoning that the two South Asian nations are not yet Thailand's large-scaled goods shipment destinations and tourism markets. The leading Thai private think tank also indicated that the country's exports to Pakistan stood at about 1.48 billion US dollars in 2018, while those to India stood at about 7.60 billion US dollars, with major Thai exports to the two South Asian countries including chemical products, plastic pellets, rubber products and air conditioners, as well as vehicles, parts and accessories. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce forecast that Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) should grow by 3.5-4.5 per cent year-on-year in 2019 and general inflation should remain at low levels, between 0.7-1.7 per cent, while the Thai currency should hover around 32.5-33.5 baht a US dollar and the world oil prices should stand about 70-80 US dollars per barrel. (TNA)