KGI highlights AWC and CENTEL as tourism recovery plays for the second half

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โดย Kaohoon·TH·Read original
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The analyst team at KGI Securities (Thailand) says it holds an increasingly positive view on the outlook for Thailand's tourism sector, citing a recovering trend in foreign tourist arrivals, rising flight capacity, and still-resilient domestic tourism, all of which should support the operating results of hotel operators in the second half of 2026. Foreign tourist arrivals from January 1 to September 12, 2026 stood at 21.72 million, down 3.4% from the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority of Thailand expects the number of Chinese tourists during the travel season and the long Golden Week holiday to rise 24% from the same period last year to about 250,000. The research team expects RevPAR to accelerate in the third quarter of 2026, turning back to positive growth after a 10% decline in the second quarter of 2026, and forecasts that RevPAR for hotels in Thailand will grow at rates ranging from single digits up to about 20% compared with the same period a year earlier. Among hotel stocks, Asset World Corp, or AWC, is expected to be one of the leaders of the recovery, with RevPAR forecast to grow 24% from the same period a year earlier, while Central Plaza Hotel, or CENTEL, is expected to post mid-teens RevPAR growth, and The Erawan Group, or ERW, is expected to grow at a single-digit rate. The research team maintains an overweight stance on the hotel sector, naming AWC with a target price of 3.60 baht and CENTEL with a target price of 49.00 baht as its top picks, while keeping a buy rating on ERW with a target price of 4.30 baht, MINT with a target price of 30.00 baht, and SHR with a target price of 1.90 baht.

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