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Foreign tourism: Could be 2022 before Thailand sees improvement, business media

 

Image: Bangkok Biz News

 

Thailand's business media reported that it would be the end of next year or into 2022 before the country would see any appreciable return to making money from foreign tourists. 

 

Bangkok Business News said that promotions aimed at Thai people to rescue the ailing tourism sector that relied on foreign tourists were clearly not enough to make up the shortfall. 

 

Their article principally concentrated on what is known as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) that encompasses Chonburi (the location of Pattaya) Chachoengsao and Rayong. 

 

This area has been the apple of the eye of the Thai government but one like Phuket and Koh Samui that has been devastated by the lack of foreigners that made up 80% of visitors and the great bulk of revenue in the past. 

 

The media said that the "Thai Thiaw Thai" (Thais visit Thailand) promotion was inadequate. They noted that coronavirus cases were still increasing throughout the world with no end to the pandemic in sight. 

 

Chonburi would normally generate 200 billion baht in tourism revenue per year.

 

In the period of April to October it should have been about 120 billion baht but due to the pandemic the figure was just 33 billion.

 

Thais were even spending less per head than they normally do. 

 

Figures showed that last year a Thai on a trip would spend 5,515 baht on average - in September the average spend was just 3,978 baht per head and of course there were far fewer of them travelling as well. 

 

Hotel occupancy in Chonburi is  just 29% while it was 80% last year.

 

The media said that the special tourist visa scheme was a start and could help to inspire confidence in Thais receiving foreigners into the country once again.

 

But it was just a start and much more was needed to encourage Thais at this time to visit places such as the EEC, Phuket and Koh Samui. 

 

Their estimate was that no appreciable return of foreign tourism would occur until the end of 2021 at the earliest and possibly into 2022.

 

Source: Bangkok Biz News