Thursday, July 23, 2020
The island province is all set to use short, medium and long-term campaigns in the most beneficial way to renew the local tourism sector, immensely damaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Narong Woonsew, the provincial governor on Tuesday explained that on an average, the province contributes almost 400 billion baht into tourism revenue of Bangkok every year.
Locally, tourism which employed 323,219 people before Covid-19 attack had generated 245 billion baht in annual gross provincial product.
Mr. Narong stated that the pandemic has given a massive blow to Phuket’s tourism on which 80% of its economy is dependant.
The damage on Bangkok tourism caused by the pandemic is almost 160 billion baht. In 2020, it is being forecasted that the number of tourists visiting Phuket will drop to five million, a huge drop from 2019’s figure of 14.4 million. About 1.5 million would be Thai people out of those five million tourists.
Mr. Narong also mentioned that the huge depression in tourism has provoked experts to rethink in regards to the province’s economic advancement strategy, whereby it will decrease its overdependence on tourism and diversify by developing other potential growth-driver businesses simultaneosuly.
The governor said that when tourism in Phuket gets damaged, the entire local economy crashes at the same time.
Mr. Narong also highlighted that now the priority is to get the financial condition back on its feet by adapting to short, medium and long term recovery campaigns along with assistance from public and private sectors.
In the coming three months, the government of the province is offering a 40% subsidy on air tickets and accommodation for people holidaying in Bangkok. Also, medical professionals will get a travel and accommodation discount as gesture of thanks from the government for their efforts in battling Covid-19.
