Thailand Tourism Looks to China to Start Pandemic Rebound

Volume 5, Number 1: November 2020 | Article

Thailand Tourism Looks to China to Start Down Path for Pandemic Rebound

The global outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, in order to prevent the spread of the virus, many countries have begun to restrict travel. This not only caused a major blow to Thailand’s tourism industry but also affected economic development, coupled with the double pressure of drought and increased public expenditure, resulting in Thailand’s domestic economy. The chance of recession increases.

After entering 2020, Thai stocks have fallen by 29 percentage points, the most dramatic decline in Asia; the exchange rate of the Thai baht against the US dollar has also fallen by 6% during the same period, and its depreciation ranks second among Asian currencies. The Thai government recently proposed an economic stimulus package of 400 billion baht, but all walks of life have reservations about the actual effect of the program. In 2019, the number of international tourists arriving in Thailand reached a record of 39.8 million, and total consumption accounted for 11.4% of Thailand’s GDP. The government estimated last year that 40 million international tourists will arrive in Thailand in 2020. Previously, the Tourism Authority of Thailand estimated that only 14 million foreign tourists will visit Thailand this year, which is the lowest record in 14 years. The Central Bank of Thailand’s forecast is even more pessimistic. The number of international tourists arriving in Thailand may only be 8 million.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, Thailand’s tourism industry has suffered a huge impact. The number of inbound tourists, including Chinese tourists, has fallen sharply. The new crown pneumonia epidemic has caused severe damage to the tourism industry in various parts of Thailand. Based on the current situation, it is predicted that the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand will continue to grow in the future, but the growth rate will slow down. It must be admitted that the number of Chinese tourists is difficult to grow at a double-digit rate as in the past, because the number of tourists to Thailand has already been large, and the number of tourists to Thailand’s main airports has begun to be limited. The good flight reservations at the current time are full, and the remaining arrival times are all flights at two in the morning, which will affect the number of flights.

The epidemic will have a major impact on tourism behavior and tourism services. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched the “Safety and Health Management” project to improve the skills of tourism practitioners by adopting measures such as state assistance and strengthening the implementation of tourism training and education programs to help Thai tourism companies adapt to the “new normal.” At the same time, the Thai Tourism Administration will focus on restoration and reconstruction plans, and strive to develop a more sustainable Thai tourism industry in the post-new crown pneumonia era.

In various tourist attractions in Thailand, the government has actively strengthened epidemic prevention and control and has established a “new norm” for epidemic prevention and control, reshaping the image of safe tourism. Whether it is a tourist attraction, or holding concerts, marathons, ball games, and bicycle races, limiting the number of people, wearing masks, and strictly observing social distance will become basic rules.  After the epidemic, the tourism industry will be greeted in a “new normal” way, and it will definitely pay more attention to health, cleanliness, and safety.

At the same time, the Thai government calls on tourism operators to take advantage of the government’s promotion of tourism stimulus measures to continue to carry out marketing activities to increase visibility and use more channels such as marketing through social networks. This channel is suitable for small and medium-sized business operators with limited marketing budgets. It has a greater impact on tourists’ choice of tourist attractions and accommodation. Operators should develop media content to attract more followers.

In conclusion, mid-to-high-end hotels and accommodation operators can launch travel packages suitable for high-end Thai tourists who are looking for domestic tourist attractions to replace outbound travel. However, the government emphasizes that operators must still pay attention to and pay attention to the new crown pneumonia epidemic and set up channels to communicate with customers in the event of unexpected situations. In particular, operators in areas open to foreign tourists should keep in touch with customers and maintain Customers get correct information, prevent rumors, and mitigate the possible impact.