OPINION by Bill Barnett
As the final days of disruptive 2020 come screeching to an erratic end, hotel, and restaurant owners are peering into an unpredictable year ahead. Here in Thailand over the past week, the tourism industry has been shaken to its core over an uptick in Covid-19 cases and backroom speculation over fears of another round of lockdowns.(Restrictions, but not full lockdowns, have already been applied by a number of provincial governors, including in parts of Bangkok, Rayong, Nonthaburi and Pattaya)
With domestic tourism being the only operating segment at present, the market reality is that the lag in vaccinations could take 9 to 12 months in 2021. We are now facing a situation that it’s highly unlikely a significant reopening of international travel will effectively gain traction until 2022. What’s more worrisome for hotels that have been trying to survive…
