The Prime Minister is set to decide whether or not plans to welcome back foreign tourists will proceed as scheduled, when he heads a meeting of the economic committee set up to address the impact of the COVID-19 virus, tomorrow (June 4, 2021).
Prime Minister’s Office Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri outlined that the meeting will take place on Friday from 1:30pm as a video conference. It will be the second meeting of 2021 and will focus on progress made under the various economic aid programs, implemented to help citizens and businesses, with Rao Chana and soft loan programs to support operations. It will also review the current circumstances to decide if policies should be altered.
A key matter will be measures to stimulate investment by attracting high net worth foreign visitors to the country and reopening certain provinces to tourism.
Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Yuthasak Supasorn have already spoken to the Tourism Council of Thailand along with business operators and citizens in Phuket to hear their views on reopening to vaccinated tourists and not requiring quarantine. The plan has been dubbed the “Phuket Sandbox” and is slated to begin on July 1.
Yuthasak stated that all sides are ready to again open Phuket to fully vaccinated visitors to reinvigorate the province’s economy as it is nearing its vaccination target. The information is to be presented to the economic committee to inform its consideration of plans made back in March. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is to play a marketing role in the plan, targeting 129,000 tourists to Phuket over the three-month period from July to September; it also has medium and long term targets. (NNT)
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