Thai Hotels Association urges attention for domestic tourism

Doubting PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s pledge to reopen Thailand fully to international tourists by mid-October, the Thai Hotels Association is calling on the government to focus on plans to boost domestic tourism. The association says that the Thai government is laser-focused on international tourism and on achieving the reopening goal, but a backup plan is needed to encourage domestic tourism if international travel falters.

Hotels across the country have been struggling to survive with many closing permanently and more temporarily shuttered due to Covid-19’s devastating effect on tourism. The Thai Hotel Association and the Bangko of Thailand ran a survey last month, talking to 304 hotels about the economic crunch and future business outlook.

About 60% of hotels say they don’t have sufficient cash flow and cash reserves, with a majority saying they could sneak by for a maximum of…