黑料社

PHUKET 鈥� Overseas tourists began pouring into Bangkok and the holiday island of Phuket on Monday as Thailand kickstarted its tourism industry after 18 months of Covid curbs.

The coronavirus pandemic hammered the kingdom鈥檚 tourism-reliant economy, which last year saw its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis as arrivals dwindled more than 80 percent.

Thai authorities have given the green light to vaccinated tourists from over 60 鈥渓ow-risk鈥� countries to skip hotel quarantine 鈥� providing the sector a much-needed lifeline.

Bangkok鈥檚 Suvarnabhumi airport and Phuket鈥檚 international terminal were the first on Monday morning to receive visitors, with mostly European tourists greeted by staff dressed in PPE gear to process their documents.

鈥淲e are very, very happy,鈥� Andre Winkler, 55, told AFP after he and his partner passed immigration in Bangkok.

鈥淲e stay in Thailand for six months every year for winter time because in Germany, it鈥檚 cold鈥� The last time, before corona, we came to Thailand was 2019,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been too long.鈥�

In Phuket, Susanne Peter, 57, said she and her partner will stay on the island for a week before moving on to Bangkok and Hua Hin, another beach getaway.

鈥淲e love the (Thai) people, they are really kind and really friendly,鈥� she told AFP, adding this was their first trip since the pandemic began.

Airports of Thailand 鈥� which manages the country鈥檚 international terminals 鈥� said it expects Bangkok鈥檚 Suvarnabhumi to receive 30,000 passengers on Monday.

Visitors are required to take a covid test upon landing, and spend a night at a government-approved hotel to await results before being allowed to travel freely across the kingdom.

鈥楻eturn to normal鈥�

Thailand hopes to capitalize on travelers escaping the winter blues in December, with several European countries, the United States and China on the approved list.

鈥淭he most important thing that the government and I are thinking right now is to make people鈥檚 livelihoods return to normal,鈥� Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha said Friday.

Tourism accounts for nearly a fifth of the economy and the impact of the pandemic has reverberated across various sectors, from restaurants to transportation.

But authorities expect 10 to 15 million visitors to return next year, with revenues forecast to surpass $30 billion.

Industry insiders are less optimistic, however, especially with regional giant China 鈥� the source of the lion鈥檚 share of tourists 鈥� still requiring returnees to undergo a strict quarantine program.

Thailand is still registering about 10,000 Covid infections a day while only about 40 percent of the population have received two vaccine doses.

鈥楥annot be the same鈥�

Pre-pandemic Thailand saw nearly 40 million visitors arrive annually to stroll its sandy beaches, sample street food and enjoy its聽infamous nightlife.

A pilot re-opening scheme dubbed the 鈥渟andbox鈥� kicked off in July, with Phuket allowing fully vaccinated visitors to roam the island paradise for two weeks before being allowed to travel to other areas of Thailand.

But it drew just 58,685 visitors in four months, a drop in the ocean compared to the numbers Thailand has come to expect.

Beachside vendors in Phuket were itching for a higher influx聽on the eve of the re-opening.

Dit, 18, who works at his uncle鈥檚 sun lounge and juice bar on Kamala Beach, said their income was about $150 a day before the pandemic.

The business was forced to close for several months but reopened three weeks ago and is now generating about $30 a day.

鈥淭his (re-opening) will be better than the small sandbox tourist numbers, but we don鈥檛 expect all the deck chairs to be filled straight away,鈥� he told AFP.

But in Koh Phi Phi 鈥� a popular island stop on the booze-fueled backpacker trail 鈥� entrepreneurs were wary of a return to 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥�.

鈥淏efore it was the cheapest tourists in the world and all they wanted was sex, drugs and alcohol,鈥� said Roger Andreu, who works at a dive shop.

鈥淲e need to make money but it cannot be the same.鈥�