Tourism Thailand Plays Downplays US CDC Level 4 Covid-19 Alert

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2022

Tourism Thailand Plays Downplays US CDC Level 4 Covid-19 Alert

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is playing down a level 4 Covid-19 alert issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) against Thailand.

Thailand was added to the CDC’s level-4 list this week, advising Americans to avoid travel there due to a high rate of Covid-19 transmission.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the level 4 covid-19 alert won’t have a huge impact on tourism as the sector is already weak.

Governor Yuthasak said the warning was the same as last year when the number of infections reached more than 20,000 per day.

Based on his previous experiences, he believes that this step shouldn’t have much of an impact on tourists’ decisions by Americans.

The main obstacles for Thailand this month are rising inflation and soaring travel costs, as a result of soaring oil prices. Rising oil prices will affect airlines and transportation within Thailand.

Thailand Tourism Revenues to Drop

Governor Yuthasak said it had been expected that the TAT would earn 26 billion baht from 338,645 foreign tourists in the first quarter. However, due to the unfavourable economic situation and the political climate, the actual figures will possibly be 30% less than expected.

A TAT meeting was held yesterday with representatives from Phuket, Pattaya, Surat Thani and Krabi to assess the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian war on those areas.

During the Tuesday cabinet meeting, the Tourism and Sports Ministry was requested to identify tourists from the Ukraine and Russia who really need assistance and to provide them with essential aid.

Waiver of Tourism Visa Extension Fees

It has been reported that there are 20,000 Russians in Thailand, but surveys show there are only 6,577 tourists, and the rest are long-stay travellers, such as businessmen or those who have families and may not need assistance.

To meet the requirements, Russians and Ukrainians should register at their embassy or consulate.

After that, they will be divided into three groups: those who wish to return home, those experiencing transaction problems due to economic sanctions, and those who require humanitarian assistance.

Visitors who face problems returning home will be eligible for a waiver of the visa extension fee.