BANGKOK, Feb 19 (TNA) – Almost 100 per cent of Chinese
tour groups per cent have disappeared from
Thailand due to the Covid-19 outbreak, said tour operators, hoping it will be
short-lived.
President of the Thai Chinese Tourism Alliance
Association, Ronnarong Cheewinsiri-amnuay said as the death toll from the
deadly virus reached over 2,000 in China and several tens of thousands Covid-19
cases were reported globally, more than 98 per cent of Chinese tour groups
cancelled their trips to Thailand.
The rest were Free Independent Travellers (FIT), he
said adding that now, tour operators and tourism associations adjusted
themselves by adding more domestic tour programmes.
Some tour companies have temporarily closed and pay half
of monthly salary to their employees, he noted.
He said Covid-19 impacts are worse than severe acute respiratory
syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and projected that it would last for 3-4 months.
The overall situation seems to improve but he was unsure the
situation would normalize by mid-year.
He personally believed the impacts will last to the end of this
year or to the next Chinese New Year and could cause a loss of at least 10
billion baht.
Although the government and tourism agencies are trying to find
measures to alleviate the impacts, there should be talks to find the right
direction and to create confidence for tour operators, he said. (TNA)
