Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Thailand)

Ministry of Tourism and Sports
กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา
Seal of the Lord of Strength riding Airavata above the royal barge Suphannahong
Flag of the Lord of Strength riding Airavata above the royal barge Suphannahong
Ministry overview
Formed3 October 2002 (2002-10-03)
JurisdictionGovernment of Thailand
Headquarters
Annual budget6,413.9 million baht ($200M) (FY2019)
Minister responsible
  • Surasak Phancharoenworakul, Minister
Ministry executive
  • Natthriya Thaweevong, Permanent Secretary
Websitemots.go.th

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports (Abrv: MOTS; Thai: กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา, RTGS: Krasuang Kan Thongthiao Lae Kila) is a cabinet ministry in the Government of Thailand. The ministry's primary areas of responsibility are tourism and sports. The ministry is in charge of managing the tourist industry and sports both in schools and other institutions. The ministry organizes and directs Thailand's important sporting events. Its FY2019 budget is 6,413.9 million baht.[1]

As of October 2019, the Minister of Tourism and Sports is Phipat Ratchakitprakarn.[2]

History

The ministry was created in 2003 during the administration of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The government wanted a sports ministry, but the senate refused to support it as professional sports were not big enough to warrant a ministry. To overcome the objection, the government added tourism to the ministry's portfolio. Two agencies manage Thai tourism: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), is responsible for "bodycount", i.e., attracting visitors. The Department of Tourism in the Sports and Tourism Ministry regulates the industry and manages infrastructure. TAT's success in driving up numbers—more than 35 million visitors arrived in 2017—has overwhelmed the 130 employees responsible for managing the industry.[3]

Ministry of Sports

Later, on June 18, 2026, Surasak Panjaroenvorakul, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, revealed the progress of the draft bill on the restructuring of ministries, departments, and agencies. The key aspect of this would be the merger of ministries, with tourism responsibilities being moved to the Ministry of Culture to form the "Ministry of Culture and Tourism," and the establishment of a new ministry under the name "Ministry of Sports."

Regarding the details of the restructuring, including asset allocation, personnel, staffing levels, and internal agencies, as well as the definition of additional missions for the new ministry, it is necessary to gather feedback from relevant civil servants before proceeding. This process is currently underway as the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) is preparing to submit the draft bill to the Cabinet for approval before submitting it to the House of Representatives. It is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet sometime between June and July 2026.[4]

This meeting was held in accordance with the resolution of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) meeting No. 3/2026 on May 19, 2026. The meeting approved guidelines for restructuring government agencies based on new missions to increase efficiency in public administration. Key aspects include transferring and redistributing functions of government agencies, assigning all tourism-related tasks primarily to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to achieve concrete integration in cultural and tourism promotion. Simultaneously, sports-related tasks were assigned primarily to the newly established Ministry of Sports to clarify and streamline the management of national sports development. Furthermore, the meeting approved in principle the draft Act amending the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies Act (No. ...) B.E. .... to serve as the legal mechanism to support these changes in authority and organizational structure, ensuring compliance with legal procedures and alignment with national development strategies.[5]

On June 25, 2026, Pakorn Nilapraphan, Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs revealed the progress of the draft Act amending the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies Act, stating that the drafting of the law was complete. On June 24, 2026, the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) sent the draft law to the Cabinet Secretariat to circulate and solicit opinions on management from two relevant agencies.

It is expected that the process will take no more than one month before being submitted to the Cabinet for consideration in July or August 2026. Following this, it will proceed to parliamentary review. Based on the planned timeline, the draft law is anticipated to be enacted within 2026.[6]

On June 29, 2026, Weerasak Kowsurat, Chief Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Tourism and Sports, proposed the establishment of a "Tourism Economics Office" within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to serve as the primary agency for analyzing data and formulating structural policies.[7]

On July 1, 2026, Prasop Riangngern, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, and Natthriya Thaweevong, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, along with executives from both ministries, held a meeting at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to prepare for the implementation of the draft Act on the Restructuring of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, which the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission is currently submitting to the Cabinet. The meeting exchanged information on the structure, missions, staffing, budget, and performance of both ministries, including their affiliated agencies, state enterprises, and public organizations. They also discussed the transfer of tourism-related responsibilities to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the preparation of personnel, budget, systems, laws, assets, information technology, and relevant data to ensure a smooth and efficient transition without disrupting public services. Furthermore, the meeting agreed to establish a joint working group between the two ministries to coordinate, integrate information, conduct detailed analyses, and make proposals in collaboration with central agencies. This group will also drive communication efforts to build knowledge, understanding, and accurate awareness among personnel, the media, network partners, and the public to foster confidence and support operations during the transition period.[8]

Later, on July 2, 2026, Surasak revealed that the Office of the Civil Service Commission would submit the draft bill on the restructuring of ministries, departments, and agencies to the Cabinet meeting, possibly as early as July 7, 2026.[9]

Departments

Administration

  • Office of the Minister
  • Office of the Permanent Secretary
  • Department of Tourism
  • Department of Physical Education
  • Institute of Physical Education

Provincial Administration

  • Office of Tourism and Sports Province Division

State enterprises

Public Organization

  • Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration Organization[10]: 84 

See also

References

  1. ↑ THAILAND'S BUDGET IN BRIEF FISCAL YEAR 2019. Bureau of the Budget. 2018. p. 85. Archived from the original on 2018-09-28. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
  2. ↑ "Phiphat tops NACC wealth list". Bangkok Post. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  3. ↑ Charuvastra, Teeranai (31 January 2018). "THAILAND'S AMAZING TOURISM AN AMAZING MESS: NEW MINISTER". Khaosod English. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  4. ↑ ""สุรศักดิ์" คาดชงตั้งกระทรวงกีฬา ควบท่องเที่ยว-วัฒนธรรม เข้าครม. มิ.ย.-ก.ค.นี้ จ่อปรับโครงสร้างรัฐ" ["Surasak" expects to propose the establishment of a Ministry of Sports, combining tourism and culture, to the Cabinet in June-July. A restructuring of the government is also planned]. Siam Rath.
  5. ↑ "ถกนัดแรกหน่วยงานรัฐ เปลี่ยนผ่านแยก"ท่องเที่ยว-กีฬา-วธ." ย้ำ! กฎหมาย บุคลากร บริหารงบฯ โอนทรัพย์สิน/หนี้สิน ต้องไม่กระทบบริการประชาชน" [The first meeting of government agencies focused on the transition, separating the Ministries of Tourism, Sports, and Culture. Emphasis was placed on ensuring that laws, personnel, budget management, and transfers of assets/liabilities do not negatively impact public services]. MGROnline.
  6. ↑ ""ปกรณ์" เผย ชงกฎหมายแยกกระทรวงท่องเที่ยว ออกจากกีฬา เข้า ครม. ไม่เกิน ส.ค. ประกาศใช้ได้ในปีนี้" [Pakorn revealed that a bill to separate the Ministry of Tourism from the Ministry of Sports will be submitted to the Cabinet no later than August, with implementation expected this year]. Thairath.
  7. ↑ "วีระศักดิ์ แนะตั้งสำนักงานเศรษฐกิจการท่องเที่ยว เสริมแกร่งตั้งกระทรวงใหม่" [Weerasak suggests establishing a Tourism Economics Office to strengthen the new ministry]. ฐานเศรษฐกิจ.
  8. ↑ "วธ.-ท่องเที่ยวฯ ถกปรับโครงสร้าง ตั้ง "กระทรวงวัฒนธรรมและการท่องเที่ยว" แยก "กระทรวงการกีฬา"" [The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism are discussing restructuring to establish a separate "Ministry of Culture and Tourism" from the "Ministry of Sports"]. Thairath.
  9. ↑ "จับตา ครม. เคาะแยกตั้ง 'กระทรวงกีฬา' ออกจากท่องเที่ยว สัปดาห์หน้า" [Keep an eye on the Cabinet meeting next week to decide on the separation of the Ministry of Sports from the Ministry of Tourism]. Khaosod.
  10. ↑ Cite error: The named reference BB-2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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