BANGKOK — Thailand’s tourism sector is taking LGBT vacationers extra severely, hoping their spending on occasions and medical remedies offers the country a post-COVID economic jolt.

The Thai economic system grew 2.7% in the first quarter of 2023 from a year earlier, and the central bank expects it to elongate 3.6% for the overall year. Authorities dispute the tourism sector, which accounted for roughly 20% of the economic system ahead of the pandemic, will play a necessary role.