PHUKET: While Thailand’s government prepares to celebrate the reopening of the country to foreign tourists this week, many companies on the tourist island of Phuket are less thrilled. The COVID-19 pandemic devastated Thailand’s tourism economy, and a pilot scheme in Phuket allows fully vaccinated travelers with negative coronavirus testing to fly directly to the southern island, bypassing the 14-day quarantine regulations.
Local businesses, on the other hand, believe they’ve been forgotten and aren’t expecting anything from the tourists who are expected to arrive on Thursday (Jul 1). Visitors will see a different Phuket from the one that drew millions of visitors every year before the outbreak. “They will see buildings that are for sale, buildings that are for rent, shops that are shuttered, and convenience stores that are closed. Do you believe it’s a tourist-friendly environment? No, not at all “According to Srangsan Thongtan of the Phuket Tourism Entrepreneur Development Association, firms in need of soft loans to rebuild are in desperate need. “It’s quite difficult to reopen… we don’t have a budget, and we don’t have the funds to repair and repaint anything in order to reopen our firm.” An industry association warned this week that more than 2 million Thai tourist employees have lost their employment since last year, including 400,000 in the first quarter of 2021, while the central bank governor predicted tourism may take “five years or more” to normalize. Last year, Thailand lost about $50 billion in tourism earnings as foreign visits fell by 83 percent from nearly 40 million in 2019.
Many companies will not see money from the first batches of guests, who will stay in government-accredited hotels, according to Natchakanya Sanguanwong, manager of Anchan spa, which traditionally served hundreds of tourists each day.
“Our spa was unable to reopen due to the high expense of utilities, personnel, and rent,” she explained.
Manish Prathap, manager of the Centara Grand hotel, said his establishment is anticipating a 20% occupancy rate at first, with that number expected to grow as the idea gains traction.
“Agents and guests will begin to trust and believe in the Phuket Sandbox program,” he said.
Kamonrat Thudphimai, the hotel’s duty manager, expressed her delight.
“I’ve been missing the moments around holidays like Christmas,” she expressed her regret. “We’re looking for more of such moments.” ADD THIS TO YOUR BOOKMARKS: Our in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its progression For the most up-to-date information on the coronavirus outbreak, download our app or follow us on Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram
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