by Natthaphon Sangpolsit
BANGKOK (NNT) - As the government prepares to declare Covid-19 an endemic disease in July, authorities are seeking to ease travel restrictions in tandem with the policy in the hopes of attracting more tourists to Thailand.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn stated that the TAT may cut its revenue and arrival target for 2022 as a result of the Russian-Ukraine crisis, which has resulted in an increase in inflation and oil costs. The agency will wait until the end of this month before providing a new tourism forecast for this year.
The TAT has set a goal of 1.28 trillion baht in tourism revenue for 2022, with 626 billion baht from 10 million international arrivals and 656 billion baht from domestic trips.
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In regard to the government's plan to declare Covid-19 endemic in July, the TAT governor said further relaxations have been discussed, with one of them being the suspension of the Thailand Pass. However, he stated that RT-PCR testing protocols will continue to be used to restrict the number of Covid-19 cases in the country. He advised the government to implement regulations and policies from other countries that would allow Thailand to maintain its tourism competitiveness.
The TAT's plan to ease travel restrictions will be proposed at the next meeting of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on March 18, 2022.
Meanwhile, the TAT governor stated that the agency will follow the CCSA's judgment on whether or not the upcoming Songkran holiday festivities will be suspended. He said the agency will promote marketing strategies to boost tourism if the CCSA allows celebrations for the upcoming holidays.
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