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BANGKOK: Thailand expects to receive 1,200 foreign visitors in both November and December, following a slight relaxation of travel restrictions aimed at generating some income until the ban on mass tourism is lifted, its boss said on Friday (November 27). from the tourism authority.
The country is gradually opening up to a limited number of visitors during the coronavirus pandemic to provide some support to a tourism-dependent economy that the government expects to shrink by 6% this year.
However, newcomers would be a fraction of the number in 2019, a record year.
Thailand registered 1,201 foreign visitors in October, all on special 90-day visas that require a 14-day quarantine period, compared with 3.07 million arrivals last October.
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“Rather, we hope this marks the opening of the country,” Thailand Tourism Authority Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.
Each of those tourists would spend between 200,000 and 400,000 baht (US $ 6,605-US $ 13,210), he said.
Thailand’s strict entry restrictions have helped keep its COVID-19 cases below 4,000, but caused widespread economic damage and many job losses.
In January-October, the number of foreign tourists fell 79.5 percent to 6.69 million, and commercial flights to Thailand were 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.
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Yuthasak said arrivals could be as high as 8 million in 2021, as global travel may remain subdued until the end of the year.
“But the situation is still very fluid,” he said, and it depends on global infections and access to vaccines.
A private tourism group expects up to 10 million foreign tourists next year and hopes that Thailand will open more and remove quarantine requirements.
“Our clients are ready to travel and agents are ready too, but our country is not open,” said Chairat Triratanajaraspon, chairman of the Thailand Tourism Council.
Meanwhile, Thailand has offered incentives to boost domestic tourism and hopes to restart talks with China on a travel bubble.
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