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Thailand tourism will take years to fully recover
Thailand tourist arrivals will not likely reach pre-pandemic levels for several years.
Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith expects 2021 to be a struggle for the tourism industry, and the country will not fully rebound until 2024.
That is how long it could take to get back to the 40 million tourist arrivals it received in 2019.
Speaking at a media briefing, he said Thailand’s economy will take two years to recover but the tourism sector could take twice as long.
However, it could be speeded up if Covid-19 vaccines prove to be effective.
The Minister urged the government to move away from a reliance on inbound tourism to other industries, including green initiatives and digital technologies.
Tourism contributes nearly 20% of GDP.
Meanwhile, Minister for Sports and Tourism, Pipat Ratchakitprakan said general tourism will remain closed until the second quarter of 2021.
Borders have been opened for approved visitors under the Special Tourism Visa scheme with mandatory quarantine, which so far has admitted about 1,200 people on special charter flights.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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