Thailand’s ‘Bold Move’ to Revive Tourism to Take Years, Analysts Say
- Travel remains volatile, risks abound, Thai hotels group says
- Arrivals won’t return to pre-Covid level before 2024: Krungsri
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Thailand’s plan to end quarantine for vaccinated visitors is “a fight to win foreign tourists,” Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said Tuesday. But analysts and industry executives see it as a long road to recovery fraught with risks of periodic virus resurgence and unpredictable travel trends.
A return to the pre-pandemic levels of tourist arrivals and spending will likely take a few years, according to Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, the president of the Thai Hotels Association. It’s unlikely that large groups of visitors will immediately head to Thailand given the volatile nature of global travel and the coronavirus situation, she said.