The Thai Hotels Association submitted a nine-point list of relief measures it wants the government to take to bail out the pandemic-ravaged industry.
THA President Marisa Sukosol Nonpakdee said that current efforts to promote domestic tourism cannot compensate for the loss of foreign tourists by the government’s decision to place high barriers to any tourist entry.
If the industry is going to survive until next summer, when a coronavirus vaccine is expected to become widely available, the government needs to take additional steps. They are:
Remove the requirement for 14-day quarantines for tourists from selected “low-risk” countries that have kept their Covid-19 outbreaks under control.
Reduce quarantine periods for other tourists from 14 to 10 days.
Relax restrictions for those staying in “alternative state quarantine” hotels to give guests free roam of the resort instead of confining them to their rooms for all or the vast majority of the day.
Increase the number of government seminars and events to further stimulate domestic tourism.
Extend the “We Travel Together” subsidized-tourism program.
Offer 1,000-baht vouchers to encourage more travel by expats.
Reduce electric, water and other state-owned utility bills for hotels.
Reduce construction and property taxes for hotels.
Extend the current 2 percent reduction in hotels’ Social Security contributions for a year.
Marisa said the THA expects domestic tourism to improve in the fourth quarter, but the hotel business will still be much less than in 2019.
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