Tourism has become a vital industry in Thailand, offering a range of attractions from outdoor activities to museums and cultural events. Most tourists visit Bangkok and its Buddhist temples (wats). Major sports include soccer and baseball. Thai bull, cock, and fish fighting are also popular (though illegal), along with Thai boxing, golf, badminton, and kite fighting. All visitors must have passports; visitors from most countries may stay up to 15 days without a visa. Typhoid, tetanus, and gamma globulin immunizations are recommended, especially for travel in rural areas. Yellow fever inoculation is required of tourists arriving from an infected area.
In 2000, $7 billion was spent in the country by 9,578,826 foreign visitors. That year there were 318,812 hotel rooms with a 51% occupancy rate.
The average daily cost of staying in Bangkok, according to 2000 US government estimates, was $182 per day. Elsewhere in Thailand, estimated travel costs range from $80+ in Cha Am to $98+ in Nakhon Ratchasima.
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