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Thailand gives urgent support to tourism operators

Thailand’s economic ministers on January 31 endorsed urgent aid measures for tourism operators battered by the coronavirus outbreak. According to local media, the measures include a soft-loan scheme and principal and interest payment suspension for six months by state-owned banks, including Krungthai Bank, Government Savings Bank and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.
Thailand gives urgent support to tourism operators ảnh 1The Erawan shrine is one of the most popular attractions in Bangkok for Chinese tourists. (Photo: bangkokpost.com)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’seconomic ministers on January 31 endorsed urgent aid measures for tourismoperators battered by the coronavirus outbreak.

According to localmedia, the measures include a soft-loan scheme and principal and interestpayment suspension for six months by state-owned banks, including KrungthaiBank, Government Savings Bank and the Bank for Agriculture and AgriculturalCooperatives.

The Finance Ministry will also reduce jet fuel excise tax and suspend incometax payment for six months for tourism operators, while the Transport Ministrywill reduce landing fees.

The measures will be filed with the cabinet for final approval on February 4.

Kobsak Pootrakool, deputy secretary-general to the prime minister for politicalaffairs, said the government is considering additional measures to stimulatedomestic travel, and all details will be concluded at the cabinet’s meetingnext week.

According to Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT), the coronavirus outbreak will result in a decline in Chinese visitorsfrom January to April by as much as 80 percent, with an estimated loss of 98billion THB (3.14 billion USD) in revenue.

Still, the agency is maintaining a target for 41.8 million foreign visitorsthis year, with 2.22 trillion THB in revenues.

The agency said marketing efforts will shift to other markets in lieu of China,including ASEAN, the Republic of Korea, Japan, China’s Taiwan, India, Russia,Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the United States and Mexico./.
VNA
#urgent aid measures #tourism operators #coronavirus outbreak #soft-loan scheme #interest payment suspension #landing fees #jet fuel excise tax #decline in Chinese visitors #Vietnam News Agency #Vietnamplus Thailand
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