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Bangkok: Thailand is looking to attract Indian travelers during the traditional holiday season to boost its tourism-dependent economy, which has been hit hard by the absence of mass holidaymakers from countries including China.
Thai Tourism Council Vice President Somsong Sachphimukh said the Thai tourism industry expects a large number of Indians to travel next month during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. He said this should help revive tourism as it coincides with the planned relaxation of quarantine for vaccinated visitors from November 1.
With Chinese travel abroad not expected to resume anytime soon, Thailand is betting on travelers of other origins to take advantage of its relaxed rules for tourists. Somsong said the third largest group of Indians who came to Thailand before the pandemic could return to Thai beaches for holidays, gatherings and destination weddings.
“If Thailand plans to reopen the country and many of our tourist centers in November, this year’s Diwali could be a great opportunity,” Somsong said in an online briefing on Tuesday. “Indian travelers have a lot of spending power and a lot of potential.”
Somsong said Indian travelers could spend between 27,000 baht ($800) and 76,000 baht when traveling to Thailand, and each destination wedding could generate between 10 million and 120 million baht in revenue for the hotel and service industry. .
According to official figures, around 2 million Indians visited Thailand in 2019, generating 80 billion baht in tourism-related revenue. They were the largest group behind the Chinese and Malaysians in the year when the nation attracted nearly 40 million tourists, generating more than $60 billion in revenue.
“Even though it will be difficult to match the number of visitors and the revenue generated by Chinese travelers, Indian tourists can help support Thailand’s tourism industry during this time,” Somsong said.
Thailand saw foreign tourist arrivals rise to 73,932 in the first eight months of the year, with the nation battling its worst Covid-19 outbreak, which has led to widespread travel and trade restrictions. The pandemic has caused the loss of 3 million jobs in the tourism sector, the council said, while reducing its tourist arrival forecast this year from 500,000 to 280,000. bloomberg
Read also: Canada allows direct flights from India after 5-month Covid ban
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