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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Thai borders not to open for tourism until 2021?

Thai borders to open for tourists in 2021??

 

For those of us who were hopeful of a return to Thailand sometime later this year, the latest news from the Tourism Authority of Thailand is very bad indeed.

According to the deputy governor for international marketing, currently there are zero plans for discussing a potential date for opening the borders.

Thailand has done very well indeed to contain COVID-19 but that hasn’t had any positive knock on effect with regards to the tourist industry. Currently struggling like never before, tourist hotspots such as Pattaya and Phuket are really close to collapse thanks to these restrictions.

All talks of the much vaunted ‘Travel Bubble’ have now been scrapped and the cautious approach, whilst fully understandable, could put paid to hundreds of businesses in the tourist sector.

To quote the deputy governor

“I see no signal from the government that the country will open this year. That’s putting lot of pressure on the tourism industry. The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in February, which is an iffy proposition at best now. Unfortunately, this is not a rosy picture.”

According to official sources, the unemployment figures for the tourism sector could soon exceed 2.5 million, not to mention the hundreds of thousands unofficial souls who work in the entertainment sector that are also going to be out of a job.

 

This is very bad news indeed for both businesses and those of us who really would love to return to LOS sooner rather than later.

 

 

Question – What are your thoughts about this latest bombshell and when do you foresee the borders finally opening up to overseas tourism?

 

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