Holidays to Thailand won't happen in 2020, tourism board say
While the easing of lockdown has meant many have been able to fit in a summer holiday, it's bad news for those hoping to head to Thailand this year.
The country's tourism board has dashed hopes that travellers might have of a winter sun holiday, explaining that they are unlikely to open their boarders to travel in 2020.
The deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, explained, "The Christmas period, usually the high season, is in jeopardy and I’m looking horribly even to Chinese New Year in February. It is not a rosy picture."
Currently, though Thailand is exempt from the FCO advice against all non-essential travel, the Thai border remains closed to all but a handful of diplomats and business people. The requirement to self-isolate for 14 days on your return to the UK is also in place.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) have praised Thailand for its handling of the coronavirus - to date, the country has had a total of 3,351 cases and 58 deaths. Not a single case has been recorded in the last 78 days.
It appears the postponed opening of boarders is a preventative move, to stop the country suffering a spike in cases. David Johnson of Bangkok-based travel PR firm Delivering Asia told The Telegraph:
"Thai people realise that should the country open too quickly... it would set the tourism industry back much further, likely well into next year. So whereas financial priorities are high, a lot of Thais in mid- and low-income employment are putting health first, returning to their families, finding other ways of eeking out a living and sitting this out."
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