Thai industry leaders are warning that if tourists don’t return soon, the economy will soon collapse with daunting consequences. And, as the Covid-19 vaccination programme is slow to take off, the window is closing for this year to make any kind of substantial recovery through reopening the country.
Just this week, an opposition MP drew the government’s attention to the loss of 250 billion baht a month to the country’s economy caused primarily by the stall in tourism. Even PM Prayut has stated that this year’s economic challenge is immense.
Foreign tourism accounts for 20% of Thailand’s GDP but also dumps money into the hands of Thais who fall into the low socioeconomic category. Government subsidies and new industries have proven that they cannot replace in providing what the tourism sector has done for the economy.
But the Thai government has insisted on placing the health…
