The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has always been super optimistic with the future of Thailand’s tourist industry. But after being battered by the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, international travelling and the tourism sector seemed to be unpredictable in 2021.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said: “There are unpredictable factors that come into play when trying to determine how 2021 will pan out, like the availability of a Covid-19 vaccine, the number of coronavirus infections and travel restrictions. The tourism sector might not have what’s considered a normal revenue, at least 80% of the pre-pandemic level, until 2022.”
“We set 2021 as a year of adjustment before seeing a leap in 2022. We forecast Thailand will achieve 2.5 trillion baht in tourism revenue in 2022, or 80-90% of 2019, which recorded 3 trillion baht,” he added.
Yuthasak says he met with an official from the Chinese Embassy and said that large groups of Chinese tourists, making up around 10 million, or 25% of foreign arrivals in 2019, will probably not travel to Thailand until a Covid-19 vaccine is commercially available.
Sources: The Thaiger | Bangkok Post
Photo: AP Photo/Amr NAbil
