TAT expects not more than 10,000 tourists coming this year - Phuket News

 TAT expects not more than 10,000 tourists coming this year

PHUKET: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn has announced that his agency believes the number of tourists coming to Thailand will not exceed the 10,000 mark by year's end.

The announcement came yesterday (Nov 19), as the TAT chief confirmed that the mandatory quarantine period had not yet been reduced to 10 days, and that Phuket and Koh Samui had both been chosen to pilot a domestic tourism stimulus plan to host government conferences.

Governor Yuthasak explained that the Ministry of Public Health's proposal to reduce the mandatory quarantine for international arrivals from 14 days had been denied.

Citing studies from abroad, the ministry had proposed to reduce the quarantine for tourists to 10 days' confinement at an Alternative Local Quarantine (ALQ) with arrivals allowed into public areas for the final four days while being tracked.

"With re-opening the country, we have to think of the safety of our citizens as priority," Mr Yuthasak said.

"The TAT has publicized to foreign tourists that they have to quarantine for 14 days before traveling [within the country], but I do think that the quarantine period being reduced may make it easier for foreign tourists to make the decision to come," Mr Yuthasak added.

"However, we expect not more than 10,000 tourists to come to Thailand by the end of this year," he noted.

Mr Yuthasak also announced that the TAT has been encouraging officials at both the national and local levels of government to hold seminars or events in the tourism-dependent provinces in the coming year in order to compensate the loss of income from the lack of foreign tourists who have not been able to come to Thailand. 

"TAT officers are still studying and making more plans to stimulate tourism in Phuket and Koh Samui as pilot areas, and then we will move to other provinces," Mr Yuthasak said. 

"The tourism support fund for B50-100 billion is still under the consideration by the Ministry of Finance and needs more study," Mr Yuthasak said in passing.

"For domestic tourism, the TAT is looking into adding more privileges for the 'We Travel Together' and the 'Kamlang Jai' campaigns, and will rush to make its proposals to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration [CCSA] in order to stimulate the tourism during the new year holidays," he concluded.