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BANGKOK: Thailand is delaying plans to host its first batch of foreign tourists due to administrative problems, a senior official said on Thursday (Oct. 8), adding to uncertainty about when it will welcome visitors vital to its economy.
The processes involved in applying for and issuing special visas are delaying the smooth reopening, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Yuthasak Supasorn, told Reuters, adding that about 100 tourists are expected to arrive this month.
Foreign arrivals came to a halt in April after the government banned commercial flights to keep COVID-19 at bay.
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In September, the TAT said that some 120 tourists with special long-stay visas would fly directly from Guangzhou to the resort island of Phuket this week, but their trip has been delayed.
However, Chinese media have questioned the identity of those tourists, and reports have been unable to confirm any travel reservations to Thailand among agents in Guangzhou.
Phuket operators are also baffled.
“We have not been notified about the arrivals,” Phuket Tourism Association Chairman Bhummikitti Ruktaengam told Reuters.
“Phuket is ready, but we need clarity, where are they from, how many and where will they stay?” Bhummikitti said, adding that more information would help build trust among the local community.
In August, authorities announced that a limited number of long-stay visitors from countries considered low-risk would be allowed and that their travels must include two weeks of quarantine at their resort.
READ: ‘A step in the right direction’: Thai tour operators welcome special visa for foreigners
Thailand has just over 3,600 confirmed cases, among the lowest in Asia, but its economy could contract by a record 7.8 percent.
The tourism-dependent country could receive just 6.7 million foreign visitors this year, the government predicts, after a record 39.8 million in 2019, whose spending accounted for about 11.4 percent of GDP, or 1, 93 trillion baht ($ 61.88 billion).
Authorities had previously shelved a “travel bubble” plan to allow the movement of travelers between countries with low infection rates.
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