BANGKOK – Economic ministers have prepared measures to shore up tourism that is heavily affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said after economic ministers’ meeting that authorities came up with immediate and long-term measures.
Immediate solutions to be implemented until April include public communications to extend empathy to virus-affected people and give relevant advice, soft loans and debt moratoriums for tourism-related operators, reduction in landing fees and fuel tax for airlines and tourism promotion in alternative markets.
Long-term measures starting in May, Mr Yuthasak said, would include immigration facilitation, the improvement of tourist services and promotional privileges for chartered flights bringing in tourists with high purchasing power.
In the economic ministers’ meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha warned concerned authorities to carefully consider an idea to suspend the exemption of the visa-on-arrival fee, the TAT governor said.
Mr Yuthasak also said that from January to April the number of flights from China would plummet by 80% from the same period last year and tourism-related income loss was estimated at 95 billion baht during the period.
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