The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) has stated that the local tourism scene remains in a ‘comatose’ state, adding that the Kingdom needs at least 16 million visitors and 1.2 trillion baht in revenue to resuscitate the industry.
TCT President Chamnan Srisawat noted that many countries – such as the United States and several European and Asian nations – have been relaxing entry restrictions in order to rejuvenate their tourism sectors.
He urged the Thai government to consider similar moves, insisting that once these restrictions are relaxed, several sectors will immediately benefit. These can include construction, real estate, agriculture and food, as well as the healthcare and wellness sectors. Chamnan also reiterated that SMEs and local entrepreneurs should recover quickly as more tourists make their way to the Kingdom.
The TCT president said the agency aims to attract at least 16 million foreign visitors to Thailand and 75 million local travelers, generating 1.2 trillion baht in revenue. Relaxing curbs would also spur employment and generate billions of baht in tax income.
To that end, the TCT has suggested that the administration remove the Thailand Pass scheme and replace the mandatory RT-PCR test-upon-arrival requirement with the more convenient ATK tests. It also floated the idea of establishing a fund to develop human resources and marketing technology, and to provide liquidity for tourism businesses. (NNT)
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