In Thailand, it is the all-important tourism sector that has jumped to the head of the COVID-19 vaccination line, with the country’s most popular resort island embarking on a mass inoculation program two months ahead of the rest of the country.
The island of Phuket aims to inoculate at least 460,000 people — most of its population — as it gears up for July 1, when vaccinated overseas visitors are no longer to be required to quarantine.
Phuket has its own international airport and tourists would be able to roam the island freely without posing any COVID-19 risk to the rest of Thailand’s population.
“If we can build immunity for 70 to 80 percent of the population on the island, we can receive foreign tourists who have been vaccinated without the need for quarantine,” Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong said.
While medical workers, members of the Cabinet and older people were the first to be vaccinated, Thailand’s decision to prioritize Phuket over other parts of the country underscores the central role of tourism to the economy.
Spending by foreign tourists accounted for 11 to 12 percent of GDP before the pandemic and the sector has been devastated by the virus with 1.45 million jobs lost since last year.
Just 6.7 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year, spending about US$11 billion. That compares with nearly 40 million in 2019, when they spent US$61 billion.
The government wants to see at least 100,000 tourists come to Phuket in the third quarter.
It also hopes that as vaccinations worldwide progress, it will see a spike in demand in the fourth quarter and that, nationwide, about 6.5 million visitors would have spent 350 billion baht (US$11 billion) by the end of the year.
“It’s a challenge, but that would contribute some to GDP,” Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said. “We don’t expect tourists to come in like a broken dam, but we hope to have quality visitors with high spending.”
Finansia Syrus analyst Songklod Wongchai said he believes that Thailand could see a quick rebound in tourism, citing the Maldives, where hotel occupancy rates bounced back to 70 to 80 percent, despite COVID-19 cases.
“Pent-up demand might come back faster than expected. I think the ‘Land of Smiles’ will start smiling again,” he said.
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