Thailand sees tourism dropping due to Omicron worries

Thailand is seeing a dip in new incoming tourists that Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn has said is the predictable side effect of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19. Since December 8, the number of daily international travellers entering Thailand has fallen to less than 3,000 people per day.

Many are worried about the Omicron, which seems to be more transmissible than previous variants, though data suggests infections caused by the strain tend to be less severe. Travellers are choosing to cancel or postpone their travels, waiting until 2022, when hopefully we will have a better understanding of Omicron as well as better vaccine protection against it and containment.

Since Thailand’s reopening on November 1, a large percentage of travellers have been coming to the country from European nations, with the UK, Germany, and France among the countries with the most arrivals. But Europe has seen a surge in COvid-19 infections since the spread of Omicron has begun, with the UK shutting down flights to Thailand today.

By December 15, the daily entering tourists dropped to 2,584, and that figure may continue to fall as the new variant, which has only been found a handful of times in Thailand so far, spreads throughout countries that had previously been deemed safe by the CCSA.

544,566 people have registered for the Thailand Pass to enter the country, with 436,008 already approved, and up until December 15, 160,079 tourists have arrived into Thailand. France, Germany, Russia, the US, and the UK are the top 5 countries of origin travelling to the country now.

SOURCE: The Phuket News