Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Covid: Thailand tourism up but still below pre-pandemic level
Thailand is one of the most visited South East Asian countries by tourists. With popular destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya, and Phuket only to name a few, nearly 40 million tourists visited the country, a little over a quarter of which came from China in 2019. However, the country received only 400,000 tourists in 2021 because of the pandemic. Since tourism used to generate as much as 10% of Thailand’s GDP before the pandemic, it was a big blow to businesses, workers, and elephants (Vol.3925). Now, the country hopes to increase tourist numbers to 80 million within five years, twice as many as the pre-pandemic level. It also wants to boost direct revenue from tourists to the government by charging 300 baht ($9.20) per visitor starting June this year. With 300 baht, you can buy three decent street meals and a cup of good coffee there. If Thailand achieved the goal, more people and elephants will be employed, more investments will be made, and accordingly, more GDP will be generated. If you think about the overall travel expenses, 300 baht might not be that expensive.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about Thailand’s ambitious and aggressive tourism plans.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64369279
Covid: Thailand tourism up but still below pre-pandemic level
Thailand is one of the most visited South East Asian countries by tourists. With popular destinations like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya, and Phuket only to name a few, nearly 40 million tourists visited the country, a little over a quarter of which came from China in 2019. However, the country received only 400,000 tourists in 2021 because of the pandemic. Since tourism used to generate as much as 10% of Thailand’s GDP before the pandemic, it was a big blow to businesses, workers, and elephants (Vol.3925). Now, the country hopes to increase tourist numbers to 80 million within five years, twice as many as the pre-pandemic level. It also wants to boost direct revenue from tourists to the government by charging 300 baht ($9.20) per visitor starting June this year. With 300 baht, you can buy three decent street meals and a cup of good coffee there. If Thailand achieved the goal, more people and elephants will be employed, more investments will be made, and accordingly, more GDP will be generated. If you think about the overall travel expenses, 300 baht might not be that expensive.
Enjoy reading the article and learning about Thailand’s ambitious and aggressive tourism plans.
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-64369279
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