The Tourism and Sports Ministry estimates international arrivals to Thailand could reach 5 million during 2021. (Photo: Bangkok Post) "If we can attract 5 milliontourists this year under the current circumstances, that would be asuccess," said Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the Tourism and Sports Minister.
To reach 10 million arrivals, a significant number of conditions would have tobe met in both Thailand and origin countries for tourists, he said.
As mass vaccinations are being rolled out worldwide,including in Thailand, the Tourism and Sports Ministry plans to holddiscussions with the prime minister and the Public Health Ministry about thepossibility of including tourism workers in the early stages of the vaccinationprogramme.
Thailand is scheduled to administer vaccines to high-risk members of thepopulation starting in February. Phiphat said people employed in the tourismindustry such as hotel staff, drivers and workers at restaurants and spas basedin major tourism destinations should be among the first groups to receivevaccinations.
The ministry urged the prime minister to allocate 5 million doses for thisgroup, covering 2.5 million people total.
Such a vaccination programme would provide protection for local workers who arein contact with foreign visitors on a daily basis, he said.
The Ministry of Public Health is working on the vaccine passport framework,which may be operated either via an application or smart card, he said, addingonce this scheme is ready, tourists around the world holding a certificate ofCOVID-19 inoculation could enter the country.
The Thai tourism was hit hard by COVID-19. The country welcomed only 6.7million foreign tourists in 2020 as compared to 39.9 million recorded in 2019,and the number of visitors is said to fall to 5 million in 2021, with tourists’spending decreasing to 260 billion THB (8.67 billion USD) in 2021 from 1.91trillion THB in 2019./.
VNA
