Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase tourism links and economic ties with Thailand.

Economic ties between the United Kingdom and Thailand are already strong – bilateral trade in 2016 accounted for over £5 billion. The FCO works with the Department for International Trade and Thai counterparts to encourage deeper economic ties, including through engagement on high value opportunities, improving the conditions for business, and supporting the Thailand UK Business Leadership Council established in 2016.

Tourism between the UK and Thailand is high – we are pleased that over 1 million British nationals visit Thailand every year. Whilst the FCO does not focus directly on increasing tourism from the UK to Thailand, our Embassy in Bangkok is working to raise awareness in Thailand of the UK as a dynamic and innovative destination for business, study and tourism.