The Thai cabinet on June 16 approved a domestic tourism package worth 22.4 billion THB (720 million USD) to revitalise a key sector hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourists at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) –ꦍ The Thai cabinet on June 16approved a domestic tourism package worth 22.4 billion THB (720 million USD) torevitalise a key sector hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul saidthe stimulus, proposed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry and the FinanceMinistry, will run from July to October. The first 18 billion THB of the package will fund subsidiesfor accommodation, food and other services provided at tourist destinations. A further 2.4 billion THB will fund holiday travel for 1.2million health volunteers and officials of sub-district hospitals, who will usethe services of tour firms. The remaining 2 billion THB is to subsidise domestic flightfares for a total of 2 million trips. Tourism, which accounts for around 20 percent of Thailand’sGDP, is among the first sectors affected by COVID-19. Thailand saw a sharp decline of 58.2 percent in domestictrips in the first five months of 2020, resulting in revenue losses of 57.9percent. Data of the Tourism Authority of Thailand showed that foreigntourist arrivals contracted by 60 percent in January-May to 6.69 millionpeople. Spending from foreign tourists plunged 59.6 percent to 332 billion THB. Thailand welcomed nearly 40 million foreign holidaymakerslast year./.
Thailand is planning to reopen its borders to tourists from countries which have comparably low coronavirus infections as it is striving to revitalise the pandemic-hit tourism industry.
Around 1,000 foreign visitors are expected to be allowed to enter Thailand per day and the standard 14-day COVID-19 quarantine rule will be waived, according to an implementation plan to be submitted for approval of the country’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
Thailand has gone 21 straight days with no new COVID-19 cases recorded on June 15, keeping the total number of infections in Thailand at 3,135 with 58 deaths.
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Tourists at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
