Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said on Thursday that a final decision had not been made on shutting down the country from tourism until 2021, refuting earlier statements made by a TAT official.
According to the CCSA, numerous factors must be weighed before reaching such a decision and any decision should be made in increments rather than a blanket travel ban for the rest of the year.
A spokesman for the CCSA told Thai Enquirer that among the situations that must be assessed is the viability of a vaccine, the global pandemic situation and the situation at home.
Any statement which claims that a decision has been made is “premature” according to the CCSA.
The new reports on Thursday refute a previous statement by a senior Tourist Authority of Thailand who told reporters during a webinar that Thailand would not welcome tourists until next year.
Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, TAT’s Deputy Governor for International Marketing, had said that there was no signal from the government that the country would open this year.
Thailand’s Bank of Thailand said last month that the country is now expecting only 8 million visitors compared to 39.8 million last year. It is a significant weight on the economy that relies heavily on income from tourism.
The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) said that as a result of low tourism numbers and the impact of coronavirus, the economy could contract by as much as 10 per cent this year.
