Tourism
Thailand’s Tourism Minister urges government to revisit travel bubble idea

Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, is once again floating the idea of ”travel bubbles” with low-risk countries after the plan was initially shelved by the Civil Aviation Regulator. The original plan had been to create travel pacts with countries deemed safe from the virus, such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. However, a new spike in numbers in some partner countries meant the plan was postponed.
By way of compromise, Pipat suggests a travel bubble could be created with safe cities and provinces in those countries, rather than the countries as a whole. He says domestic tourism alone is not enough, with Thailand suffering from the lack of foreign visitor revenue. He adds that he will discuss the possibility of travel bubbles with the government.
“Although we’re currently encouraging Thais to travel domestically, it’s still a difficult situation for entrepreneurs, since foreign tourists contributed 2 out of 3 trillion baht of the total revenue. We will negotiate with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the health ministry to permit more travel into the country. “
His suggestion comes as the government plans to grant entry to additional categories of foreigners in phase 6 of the easing of travel restrictions. Pipat says travel bubbles would initially focus on attracting what he calls “high-end” tourists, in an effort to revive Thailand’s decimated tourism industry.
“High-end travellers on a leisure trip will be allowed to come in first. We believe that they will be able to visit destinations such as Phuket, Krabi, and Koh Samui as early as September. We have already surveyed and conducted public hearings at those destinations. “
SOURCE: Khaosod English
Get more from The Thaiger
Join the conversation and have your say on Thailand news published on The Thaiger.
Thaiger Talk is our new Thaiger Community where you can join the discussion on everything happening in Thailand right now.
Please note that articles are not posted to the forum instantly and can take up to 20 min before being visible. Click for more information and the Thaiger Talk Guidelines.

-
Guides1 day ago
Monsoon season in Thailand explained
-
Bangkok9 hours ago
Everything you need to know about the Bangkok Skytrain (BTS)
-
Northern Thailand3 days ago
Famous northern Thai dish declared world’s best soup
-
OutDoor Activities14 hours ago
Enjoy a splashing time and immerse yourself in Thai Mythology in Andamanda Phuket
-
Economy3 days ago
Thailand’s hotels are short on workers
-
Chon Buri2 days ago
Cheap sound absorption panels believed to be cause of Mountain B fire
-
North East1 day ago
UPDATE: Sexy Thai model fined 5,000 baht for dancing topless in club
-
Economy1 day ago
China-Taiwan-US spat threatens Thailand’s car industry