Thailand to see more visitors, 'signal' for reopening - tourism chief

By Satawasin Staporncharnchai

 

FILE PHOTO: General view of the almost empty Khaosan Road, which is usually crowded with tourists, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2020. Picture taken May 22, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand expects to receive 1,200 foreign visitors in both November and December, after a slight easing of travel curbs aimed at generating some income until a ban on mass tourism is lifted, its tourism authority chief said on Friday.

 

The country is gradually opening up to a limited numbers of visitors during the coronavirus pandemic to give some support to a tourism-dependent economy that the government expects to shrink by 6% this year.

 

The new arrivals, however, would be a fraction of the number in 2019, a record year.

 

Thailand recorded 1,201 foreign visitors in October, all on special 90-day visas requiring a 14-day quarantine period, compared to 3.07 million arrivals last October.

 

"We rather hope this will signal the opening up of the country," Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, told Reuters.

Those tourists would each spend about 200,000-400,000 baht ($6,605-$13,210), he said.

 

Thailand's tight entry restrictions have helped keep its COVID-19 cases to under 4,000, but caused widespread economic damage and many job losses.

 

In January-October, foreign tourist numbers fell 79.5% to 6.69 million, with commercial flights to Thailand halted in April.

 

In 2019, a record 39.9 million visitors spent 1.91 trillion baht ($63 billion), or about 11.3% of gross domestic product.

 

Yuthasak said arrivals might be 8 million in 2021 as global travel may remain subdued until late in the year.

 

"But the situation is still very fluid," he said, and dependent on global infections and vaccine access.

 

One private tourism group expects up to 10 million foreign tourists next year and hopes Thailand will open up more and remove quarantine requirements.

 

"Our customers are ready to travel and agents are also ready but our country is not open," said Chairat Triratanajaraspon, president of The Tourism Council of Thailand.

 

Thailand has in the meantime offered incentives to boost domestic tourism and hopes to restart talks with China on a travel bubble.

($1 = 30.28 baht)

 

(Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Martin Petty)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-27

 

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Why is it a tourist dependant economy if its 11.3% of GDP ?

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

One private tourism group expects up to 10 million foreign tourists next year and hopes Thailand will open up more and remove quarantine requirements.

 

Rather, if quarantine is completely removed,  there might be up to 10m foreign tourists.  But it's all fantasy of course.

'signal'????????

 

Probably the signal was, that his account didn't get anymore any unexpected deposits and something has to be done about that.

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

Those tourists would each spend about 200,000-400,000 baht ($6,605-$13,210), he said

I can believe that they would spend what he says.  The spent money would be initially spent on paying for the Covid testing, the ASQ quarantine hotels and then the hospital isolation unit for when they test asymptomatic which would wipe out all of that money and finish off the vacation spent in Thailand.  However, if they managed to make it out of quarantine for the remaining two weeks of their vacation then they would have about 140k to 340k left to spend or an average of between 10k and 34k per day if what he is estimating they would spend is acurate.

 

52 minutes ago, webfact said:

Yuthasak said arrivals might be 8 million in 2021 as global travel may remain subdued until late in the year.

So in his view there might be 154,836 tourists entering the country every week or just under 22,000 per day arriving.  Unless they lift quarantine there is no way they could have that many enter the country every day as there are not enough ASQ's to house that many.  

 

Add in the other OP regarding 80% of last years tourism expected in 2023, and once again these guys are just pulling numbers out of thin air.  Why even spout this drivel when no one knows what the future brings.  These guys should be Meteorologists predicting the weather, as they might get it closer than tourism.

46 minutes ago, DaLa said:

Why is it a tourist dependant economy if its 11.3% of GDP ?

Smoke and mirrors, they want you to believe the economy does not rely on tourism when they show such a small GDP number, but in reality it is more important to the majority of the country to have tourism as that is where a large percentage gain there income from both directly and indirectly.

1200 tourists? whoop whoop. LOL
Its all just Internal propaganda with no hold in real life.
I wonder who they think they are fooling?

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand to see more visitors, 'signal' for reopening - tourism chief

careful with what they wish for.... infection numbers growing all around S.Korea, Japan, Europe,  USA and many others, better safe then sorry

so how do people enter on this visa?its 90 single tourist entry visa?not the special one?im so confused with all this,i want to get my girlfriend from philippines in,i own apt here so thats ok and i have a enough in the bank but the thai embassy there .no info,its weird,infections etc have dropped a lot there and are much lower than anywhere in europe or the americas,any one any ideas or info as its a maze of blank walls and cul de sacs

Seriously 

No Tourists in their right mind would go through the hoops needed to get into Thailand.

I am doing it now on a Non O

I am at Singapore on my last leg to get in to do 15 nights of qarenteen. 

The paperwork and money required is substantial and at any step it could have all gone up in smoke.

There is no standard for alot of the required documents.

And the time frames are very tight.

And you cannot start the process without significant cash laid down on the first step most of it non refundable.

 

To think Tourists would do all this for a Holliday in Thailand on top of the artificially inflated Bhat they are out of their heads.

 

 

Edited November 27, 20205 yr by dutchweller

5 minutes ago, dutchweller said:

Seriously 

No Tourists in their right mind would go through the hoops needed to get into Thailand.

I am doing it now on a Non O

I am at Singapore on my last leg to get in to do 15 nights of qarenteen. 

The paperwork and money required is substantial and at any step it could have all gone up in smoke.

There is no standard for alot of the required documents.

And the time frames are very tight.

And you cannot start the process without significant cash laid down on the first step most of it non refundable.

 

To think Tourists would do all this for a Holliday in Thailand on top of the artificially inflated Bhat they are out of their heads.

 

 

Absolutely agree. I am returning on a new O-A visa and it is nerve wracking given all the documentation, tight time frames on covid-19 tests, and expenses that are non-refundable if anything goes wrong which is out of your control. No normal tourist would even think about going through this process, only those of us who are extremely dedicated to getting back would do it.

15 hours ago, webfact said:

to give some support to a tourism-dependent economy t

Thats not quite what you spouting in March now was it!

13 hours ago, epicking said:

1200 tourists? whoop whoop. LOL
Its all just Internal propaganda with no hold in real life.
I wonder who they think they are fooling?

The vast majority of Thai's it seems.

Honestly, no tourists are going or want to go, The only people trying to get back are those that need to, e.g. for family, business or they live there. Much nicer back here in Western Australia with our zero level of coronavirus.

15 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

16 hours ago, DaLa said:

Why is it a tourist dependant economy if its 11.3% of GDP ?

Smoke and mirrors, they want you to believe the economy does not rely on tourism when they show such a small GDP number, but in reality it is more important to the majority of the country to have tourism as that is where a large percentage gain there income from both directly and indirectly.

 

A higher number is usually quoted, but even 11.3% is huge in GDP terms - any country seeing its GDP shrink by that amount would be in an extremely painful recession.

What a rubbish article.

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

Honestly, no tourists are going or want to go, The only people trying to get back are those that need to, e.g. for family, business or they live there. Much nicer back here in Western Australia with our zero level of coronavirus.

Unless you are trying to get in or out.

I know a guy an Aussie who has been trying to get to Perth from Bangkok for months.

Mission impossible

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Our customers are ready to travel and agents are also ready but our country is not open," said Chairat Triratanajaraspon, president of The Tourism Council of Thailand.

 

You should check how many countries you're targeting are actually allowing their citizens to travel abroad freely. Not much point in Thailand being open if everybody else is closed.

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Yuthasak said arrivals might be 8 million in 2021 as global travel may remain subdued until late in the year.

8 million Chinese no other nationalities are allowed .

17 hours ago, DaLa said:

Why is it a tourist dependant economy if its 11.3% of GDP ?

Because it's not 11.3%.. 

52 minutes ago, khunjeff said:

 

A higher number is usually quoted, but even 11.3% is huge in GDP terms - any country seeing its GDP shrink by that amount would be in an extremely painful recession.

You are correct it is huge.

Maybe still conservative as an entire nation.

But, the resort areas that are really hurting such as Pattaya, Phuket are about 80%.

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Those tourists would each spend about 200,000-400,000 baht ($6,605-$13,210), he said.

La la land...

wow 1,201 new tourists. That will save the country.

 

Just keep spreading the fear mongering and scare campaign you morons. 

1 hour ago, khunjeff said:

 

A higher number is usually quoted, but even 11.3% is huge in GDP terms - any country seeing its GDP shrink by that amount would be in an extremely painful recession.

 

But since that percentage of GDP is not created solely from foreign tourism, they also don't lose 11.3% yet.

 

If someone would have knowledge which part is domestic tourism, that would paint the real picture

I think we can all agree normal tourism will  not be  returning until 

The quarantine  restrictions are lifted here in Thailand a vaccine found and flights are back to normal

Which looking at the cases in Europe and the USA is a long off

 

2 hours ago, jaiyen said:

Honestly, no tourists are going or want to go, The only people trying to get back are those that need to, e.g. for family, business or they live there. Much nicer back here in Western Australia with our zero level of coronavirus.

Thailand 59 covid deaths from 69 million population. ZERO for past 5 months roughly! Lockdowns ended MONTHS AGO! How's Australia doing???

20 minutes ago, Big Yuley said:

wow 1,201 new tourists. That will save the country.

 

Just keep spreading the fear mongering and scare campaign you morons. 

Gov genius's PAY for covid tests at the AIRPORTS and Borders. Israel has CHEAP tests for many months now. Spend some bahts out of your BILLIONS bag!

All pigs fed and ready to fly.

The floodgates have opened... ????????????

 

So almost 90% of the GDP are generated without tourism = tourism is of a certain interest but not life supporting. The picture which presents itself to me every day speaks a completely different language. 

I would assume, that 25% of the Thai labour force is out of business, 25% of labour force doing 11+% of GPD? 

The official statement refers to "1,200 foreign visitors in both November and December, after a slight easing of travel curbs". If you carry "easing the travel curbs" in the same speed, use a big calculator until you are back to the 6'600'000 tourists you claim having had monthly just a year ago over the same period of two months ........... 

Are you joking?