A Cabinet meeting next week will consider approving a special tourist visa for foreigners who wish to enter Thailand, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said.
Plans to allow foreign tourists in must take into account the balance between public health safety, consent from local residents and income by the tourism sector, which accounts for 20 per cent of gross domestic product, he said.
The Association of Thai Travel Agents previously suggested allowing in tourists from cities or countries at low risk of COVID-19 without any quarantine. Most recently, TAT drafted guidelines, waiting for Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to discuss the matter with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Foreign tourists are expected to return to Thailand in the second quarter of 2021 (April-June) due to the likely development of a COVID-19 vaccine, Yuthasak added. TAT expects a rebound in tourist numbers from Northeast Asia and Asean in the near term. It hopes to attract approximately 16.7 million visitors from the Asia-Pacific region and 3.8 million visitors from Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.
This article is taken from NNT