Tourism
4 years until tourism industry gets back to pre-pandemic levels – Finance Ministry
It could take 4 years for Thailand’s tourism industry to recover after being battered by the lack of travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government’s reaction and the economic fallout, according to the Finance Ministry.
While local and international experts project Thailand’s economy will continue to recover over the next 2 years, the tourism industry, which directly contributes 12-15% of the country’s GDP, is forecasted to take at least 4 years to get back to the pre-pandemic level, if ever. Last year, Thailand had nearly 40 million foreign tourist arrivals, generating 2 trillion baht.
Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says he expects 8 million foreign tourists to arrive in 2021, followed by 16 million in 2022, 32 million in 2023 and 40 million in 2024. But the projections are just broad speculation.
No foreign tourists entered the country between April and September this year. In October, 1,201 foreign tourists were issued Special Tourist Visas for 90 day stays that can be renewed twice, adding up to about 9 months in total. Under the current arrangements there will only be a trickle of tourists coming under the current regime including 14 day quarantine, at the tourist’s expense, and lots of paperwork and red tape.
IF Thailand does end up. with 8 million foreign tourist arrivals next year, and the cash subsidy scheme is extended, the country’s GDP is expected to expand by 4% to 4.5%, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Social media users are up in arms after registration for the government’s Kon La Khreung (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme filled up within 10 minutes. The scheme, first introduced as an economic stimulus measure in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, gives shoppers 50% off the purchase of everyday items, up to 150 baht a day and capped at 3,500 baht for the duration of the scheme.
The third phase of registration had a quota of 1.34 million users, but interested parties had to be quick. Having lost their chance to register, many disgruntled people took to social media to complain, with the hashtag #คนละครึ่งเฟส3 (#Let’s Go Halves3) trending on Twitter.
Several netizens say they filled out the online registration form at exactly 6.01am but were then forced to wait for the one-time password to be delivered to their phones before they could complete the process. In many instances, by the time they received the OTP code, registration was full. Some say they had to wait over 5 minutes to receive the password, which caused them to miss the small window for registration.
According to a Nation Thailand report, one person has described the scheme as nothing more than a government PR stunt, pointing out that, despite being funded by taxpayers’ money, only some people can avail of it.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Bangkok’s BTS skytrain maximum fare rate is being raised to 158 baht despite receiving backlash over the hike. The Transport Ministry is behind the calls for City Hall to stop the increase as it says it is too expensive for the average commuter who takes the BTS 2 times a day. Saksayam Chidchob, the Transport Minister, says other routes should be explored before increasing the costs for commuters.
“The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration should halt its policy on new BTS maximum fare and wait for other authorities to find proper solutions.”
The BMA and Transport Ministry were jointly appointed to set the fare’s ceiling in 2018, but it appears the BMA is now taking control of the new price hike. The BMA and Interior Ministry were previously responsible for granting concessions for the skytrain’s operation but the Transport Ministry is also part of the reviewing committee for extending the concessions and overall investments in the country’s mass transit system.
But deals are being made by the BMA that appear to ignore the Transport Ministry’s equal role in making decisions and the ministry says such actions are breaching co-investment laws. It isn’t the first time the BMA has made decisions without the Transport Ministry’s joint approval.
Before the new hike in fares, it previously extended concessions to the current Bangkok Mass Transit System in order to keep the fare ceiling at 65 baht. Now, making a new deal that would see passengers paying more than double in total fares across the skytrain system is being seen as pushing the envelope.
What is not clear is why the fares are being hiked when the country is suffering economically due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though the new maximum is set to rollout on February 16, Bangkok’s governor has offered to bring the new maximum down to 104 for a short period of time in consideration of the recent Covid outbreak.
But even increasing the fare to 104 baht is being widely opposed. The secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution says even the discounted rate is too expensive for daily commuters. And, the date for the discount ending has not been announced.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
The Finance Ministery is considering adding another registration round to the Khon La Khrueng (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme, as 1.34 million rights have not yet been taken up. The government introduced the scheme last October, in an effort to stimulate the Covid-battered economy. Under the scheme, Thai citizens get a 50% subsidy on the purchase of food, drink and general products, up to 150 baht per person per day, to a maximum of 3,000 baht for the duration of the scheme. Those who sign up need to make purchases within 14 days of their registration.
The first phase got under way on October 23 and finished on December 31, with the government setting aside 30 billion baht to cover 10 million people. The second phase began on January 1 and runs until March 31, covering an additional 5 million people. The cap has also been raised from 3,000 to 3,500 baht.
Kulaya Tantitemit from the Fiscal Policy Office says that of the combined 15 million rights, 13.66 have been taken up. The Bangkok Post reports that those who have not received subsidy rights can register for the 1.34 million that remain by the end of this month.
The Finance Ministry is also considering a third phase of the scheme, based on the success of the first 2 phases, according to Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Koh Larn asks Chon Buri officials to open the island again to tourists
Gambling crackdown continues, 400 slot machines seized in warehouse raid
Samut Sakhon governor remains on ventilator with serious lung infection after Covid-19
CCSA Update: 59 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death
Shoppers disgruntled as registration for co-payment scheme fills up in 10 minutes
Amnesty International condemns “shocking” 87-year sentence for lèse majesté offences
Police search for man who allegedly stole 1.9 million baht worth of gold at gunpoint
Security guard slaps student for displaying protest sign at Bangkok mall – VIDEO
Man arrested for allegedly importing millions of fake designer sunglasses
Police shoot and kill man suspected of dealing “K-powdered milk”
AstraZeneca vaccine could be approved for emergency use in Thailand this week
Covid-19 test NOT required for visa extensions (at least not today)
The Thai government threw a tourist party (sound of crickets) | VIDEO
Myanmar cancels Thai investment in the Dawei Special Economic Zone
Covid-19 travel pass to pilot on Etihad and Emirates Airways flights
Thailand’s rich not eligible for 3,500 baht government handout
Future of Thai department stores is being redefined
Thailand to introduce 300 baht “tourism fee” to insure foreign visitors, manage tourist destinations
Australian man wanted for allegedly sexually abusing children in Thailand
Bangkok condo prices expected to continue to fall this year
Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution
Thailand threw a tourism party. No one arrived.
Thailand’s PM says he won’t let Thais become vaccine “guinea pigs”
BTS skytrain maximum fare rate increasing to 158 baht despite backlash
Norway adjusts advice after 28 possible vaccine-related deaths of elderly people
Pattaya massage shop raided for allegedly violating closure order
Police raid Bangkok restaurant, more than 80 people face charges for violating Emergency Decree
Koh Samui senior police officer faces charges for allegedly raping a suspect
Student arrested in dormitory at night, charged with lèse majesté offences
Covid-19 measures and safety restrictions to be reviewed at the end of the month
Thailand News Today | Covid testing for visas, Business impact, Vaccine approval | January 19
Thailand News Today | Weekend Bangkok bombs, Thailand fires, Covid update | January 18
Thailand News Today | Stray car on runway, Indonesian quake, 300 baht tourist fee | January 15
Thailand News Today | Governor off respirator, sex-trafficking arrest, condo prices falling | January 14
Thailand News Today | Chinese vaccine, Thailand ‘drug hub’, Covid update | January 13
Thailand News Today | Bangkok may ease restrictions, Phuket bar curfew, Vaccine roll out | January 12
Thailand News Today | Covid latest, Cockfights closed down, Bryde’s Whale beached | January 11
Thailand News Today | Southern floods, Face mask fines, Thai Air Asia woes | January 8
Thailand News Today | 305 infections, No happy ending for massages, Phuket quarantine mooted | Jan 7
Thailand News Today | 10,000 schools closed, 900 new migrant infections, Gambling crackdown | January 6
Thailand News Today | PM reverses lockdown, Southern P.D.A. crackdown, Covid update | Jan 5
Thailand News Today | Record daily infections, Covid restrictions, British arrivals ‘on hold’ | Jan 4
Thailand News Today | Pattaya restrictions, 2021’s extra holidays, Covid update | December 30
Thailand News Today | Covid update, Bangkok restrictions, Gold rush | December 29
Thailand News Today | No national lockdown, Bangkok schools closed, Abortion Bill | Dec 24
Crime3 days agoAustralian man wanted for allegedly sexually abusing children in Thailand
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
Thailand threw a tourism party. No one arrived.
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)4 days ago
Thailand’s PM says he won’t let Thais become vaccine “guinea pigs”
- Bangkok4 days ago
BTS skytrain maximum fare rate increasing to 158 baht despite backlash
- Bangkok3 days ago
Police raid Bangkok restaurant, more than 80 people face charges for violating Emergency Decree
- Air Pollution4 days ago
Thailand on fire – NASA satellite website tracks the country’s farm fires
- Crime4 days ago
Police say at least 2 people to be arrested in Bangkok bomb attack – UPDATE
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
Record number of tourism firms quitting Covid-ravaged sector for good
EdwardV
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 1:30 pm
The problem with these types of articles is the numbers are seemingly made up. They rarely tie to numbers provided by other government agencies or even their own from month to month. Even so if they are projecting 8 million foreign tourists for 2021 then they expect to open up in a big way at some point. The BP article this comes from said there is almost 7 million through October 2020 and that’s with the first 2.5 to 3 months will full access and high season numbers. If you accept Thailand isn’t going to open for the first quarter at least, they expect tourists to come again in good numbers at some point. Regardless the difference is only 1 million and they expect 4% growth? Clearly most of that would be from government spending then. Good luck
Maverick
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 1:42 pm
The most realistic projections I have seen – key will be Asian markets they will come April onwards ,we won’t see many Europeans before Oct next year there will be pent up demand
Mike Frenchie
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 4:39 pm
Nobody will come with a quarantine and China will keep the quarantine on the way back until vaccine is delivered to everyone late 2021…
Issan John
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 6:14 pm
Agreed – it looks like a pretty realistic estimate.
William
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 2:02 pm
I bet we could get that number down to 6 months if everyone globally tells the govt to mind their own damn business. It was never the govt job to keep us safe. Anyone who thinks it is, does not understand the role of govt.
Issan John
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 6:20 pm
Of course that number couldn’t be achieved in “six months” and it’s absurd to imagine it could.
It isn’t just about opening orders, but it’s about the global recession and an unwillingness to travel. The numbers going elsewhere, despite a lack of options, couldn’t make that clearer to anyone with a working brain cell.
… and OF COURSE it’s the government’s job to keep people safe and those governments that haven’t have failed in their job and their duty.
Unbelievable that anyone can be quite so ignorant in the 21st century.
William
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 2:31 am
Anything centralized is poison. too many single points for failure.
William
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 2:04 pm
I wonder what inflation will look like in 1 year now that half the planet is unemployed and trillions of fake money has been added to the money supply..
Preesy Chepuce
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 10:44 pm
That’s not how infration works Wirriam…
Maag
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 4:17 pm
Dreaming , again ans again !
Richard Renwick
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 4:40 pm
Except for China, everyone else will have to wait up to 4 years.
Toby Andrews
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 5:03 pm
The tourist cat is out of the bag and will not be put back in.
Tourism in Thailand was reducing before this pandemic.
They have been too many Thai Airline fares not refunded.
Too many hotel deposits grabbed when they knew the tourist could not fly in.
Too much uncertainty about allowing tourists in.
An unjustified banning of OUTWARD flights!
Too many stupid ridiculous bans, such as hubbly bubbly pipes!
Too many blatant exposes of corruption – unpunished.
In four years time, Burma will have opened up, Vietnam will have improved,
Laos will be better. Cambodia will be better.
Thailand will be the ugly girl at the edge of the dance floor nobody wants to dance with.
Issan John
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 6:23 pm
Touris in Thailand WASN’T “reducing before this pandemic” either in terms of tourists or tourist income – the figures are readily available if you get your head out of the sand.
Toby Andrews
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 10:23 pm
Yes I know – Thai figures.
Who believes them?
EdwardV
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 10:45 pm
Its funny John how you and Toby can write opposite things and both be correct. Yes John overall tourist numbers and revenue were up before the pandemic. However tourism in 2019 was soft and in many sectors was down. There were dozens of articles in mid to late 2019 pointing that out. The Chinese numbers were down, and more importantly they were down from Western Europe and America. However, the numbers were up from India compensating the losses. It’s not hard to find the articles, there is one from Bloomberg on August 25, 2019 and another from the Economist on August 29,2019 to name a few. You know better than most each type of tourist spends differently. When you lose tourists from the upper sections of those who spend the most per person. Replace them with others who are shall we say frugal and despised by many Thais for just that reason it cuts into profit margins. Fact is 2019 wasn’t a good year for the Thai tourist industry.
Stephen Westrip
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 8:42 am
The spend per tourist is quite low for Chinese tourist compared with tourists from Middle Eastern/Europe/America/Oceania and even lower for other Asian tourists so they are going to have to get an awful lot of Chinese/Asian tourists to see the revenue the Thailand tourist sector wants.
The Thaiger
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 9:12 am
Incorrect. Per diem, the spend per Chinese tourist was the highest as measured in 2018. But, per tourist, their entire contribution was less as they only stayed, on average, for 3 days, compared to a week or more for many other tourists.
Mike
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 6:47 pm
If and when Myanmar opens up to mass tourism and the infrastructure is improved will be the real test of Thailand’s tourist industry.
Myanmar has everything and more that Thailand offers as well as being the birthplace of many things appropriated or popularised by Thailand such as lethwei (or muay Thai as it’s known in Thailand) massage etc. As well as having thousands of kilometers of pristine beach, hundreds of islands and untouched rainforests.
The Thais will need to step up their undermining of Myanmar’s tourist industry to be able to compete in the future.
Mike
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Could someone explain to Johnny how to use inverted commas correctly?
Wayno
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 8:11 pm
Get a life
Preesy Chepuce
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 10:51 pm
“Get a life”, surely?
Patrick Kelly
Thursday, December 3, 2020 at 11:41 pm
A four year downward swirl leaving the economy in tatters. What once was a world class tourist destination will be ruined for decades.
J West
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 12:15 pm
‘Back’ to the future…..bliss. If only mass tourism hadn’t struck. What a paradise SE. Asia was . Just a few decades after “ Lonely planet” brought the hoards turned Thailand into a bung. Take me back to the ‘60’s, bring it. If only. Imagine Phuket without a single beer bar or bungalow and not a farang for months. Bali same. If you’d seen it all then, you’d cry now. Don’t wish this tourist wasteland on Myanmar. A fate worse than death.
west tiger
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 2:52 am
The way Thailand is now it can’t wait that long for tourists to return in any sort of numbers.
Business’s are closing by the day and millions are out of work. Something needs to be done and now and I’m talking Chinese tourists as they don’t spend money when they are here
James R
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 3:01 am
Well, it might take at least a year.
We in the West will have access to the vaccine far quicker than Thailand and in a well-organized way which means most of us will get the vaccine within a year, we the UK have ordered 120 million doses so far, I expect that to increase once the Oxford vaccine comes online.
So many of us will not want to travel to countries which have not yet had mass vaccinations just in case so it could be most people will not want to go to Thailand until they ‘catch up’
I will go to Thailand after having the jab but I know many people are overprotected when it comes to families which might make them go eleswhere.
Toby Andrews
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 11:50 am
Correct me if I am wrong – and I’m sure someone will.
The Thai tourist figures are simply numbers of foreign arrivals, and do not take into account how long the foreigner stayed in Thailand.
Some might stay four days. Some a month.
Some foreign “tourists” might be Malaysian arriving for a weekend.
This Thai way of calculating tourism is defective.
Brit Mike
Friday, December 4, 2020 at 7:53 pm
I find it very interesting reading how Thailand should do this and that , normally to suit our needs .Thailand should be left alone to do it’s own thing. Better the thai way than the absolutely ludicrous way the Americans have handled it. I have a longtime girlfriend in Thailand and can’t wait to see her, I will see her though when Thailand is ready to let me . Trying to force our values and opinions on any other country stinks of elitism.
Ray W.
Saturday, December 5, 2020 at 9:23 am
More like 6+, we would have had to open the boards by mid June for a 4 year correction.