TENS of thousands of travellers were expected to touch down in Bangkok and the holiday island of Phuket on Monday as Thailand reboots its tourism industry after 18 months of COVID curbs.
The coronavirus pandemic hammered the kingdom's tourism-reliant economy, which last year saw its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis with arrivals down more than 80 percent.
Thai authorities have given the green light to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 "low-risk" countries to skip hotel quarantine providing the sector a much-needed lifeline.
Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport and Phuket's international terminal will be the first to receive visitors under the relaxation, with the rest of the country following suit.
Thailand hopes to capitalise on travellers escaping the winter blues during December, with several European countries, the United States and China on the approved list.
"The most important thing that the government and I are thinking right now is to make people's livelihoods return to normal," 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.
"In 2023, we believe the revenues will be close with the figure of the year 2019," tourism minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said.
Industry insiders are less optimistic however, especially with regional giant China the source of the lion's share of tourists still requiring returnees to undergo a strict quarantine programme.
Thailand is still registering about 10,000 COVID infections a day while only about 40 percent of the population have received two doses of a vaccine.
In Bangkok the double-dose vaccination rate is higher at close to 80 per cent.
- 'Cannot be the same' -
Pre-pandemic Thailand saw nearly 40 million visitors arrive annually to stroll its sandy beaches, sample street food and enjoy its infamous nightlife.
A pilot re-opening scheme dubbed the "sandbox" 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 on the eve of the re-opening.
Dit, 18, who works at his uncle's 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 re-opened three weeks ago and is now generating about $30 a day.
"We had to use our savings, grow vegetables and catch fish to survive," Dit told AFP.
"This (re-opening) will be better than the small sandbox tourist numbers, but we don't expect all the deck chairs to be filled straight away."
Further down the beach a trio of fire dancers wowed a dozen guests eating dinner at a hotel with a daredevil display of twirling and fire-breathing.
"We haven't had much work. Not much money. I have a four-year-old son. It's been a hard time," one dancer told AFP.
But in Koh Phi Phi a popular island stop on the booze-fuelled backpacker trail entrepreneurs were wary of a return to "business as usual".
"Before it was the cheapest tourists in the world and all they wanted was sex, drugs and alcohol," said Roger Andreu, who works at a dive shop.
"We need to make money but it cannot be the same."
ETX Studio
Mon Nov 01 2021
Thailand hopes to capitalise on travellers escaping the winter blues during December, with several European countries, the United States and China on the approved list. - ETX Studio
EPL: Man United sama hebat dengan skuad tercorot liga
Penjaga gol Manchester United, Andre Onana menjadi punca buat pasukannya kehilangan kemenangan menentang Burnley.
Pedofilia MRSM Tumpat: Polis selesai panggil 14 individu
Polis selesai memanggil 14 individu untuk dirakam keterangan berhubung kes pedofilia melibatkan seorang guru di Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) di Tumpat.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Pengundi tentukan kemenangan, bukan Tun M - Azmin
Kemenangan DAP dalam PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu hanya akan ditentukan oleh pengundi dan bukannya bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Calon PN sah miliki Sarjana Eksekutif UMPSA
Calon Perikatan Nasional (PN), Khairul Azhari Saut, 54, disahkan memiliki Sarjana Eksekutif Pengurusan Perniagaan dari Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA).
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Calon PN tunjuk bukti kelayakan akademik
Calon Perikatan Nasional (PN) bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Kuala Kubu Baharu, Khairul Azhari Saut menunjukkan bukti berkaitan kelayakan akademiknya bagi menjawab isu berkenaan.
Enakmen kawalan hiburan baharu, Kelantan yakin tidak bercanggah
Kerajaan Kelantan yakin proses penggubalan Enakmen Kawalan Hiburan baharu Kelantan yang akan dibentang pada sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) selepas ini tidak bercanggah dengan aturan sedia ada.
Misi teroka peluang ekonomi, tarik pelaburan baharu di WEF - PM
Delegasi Malaysia akan berkongsi dasar dan hala tuju negara di samping mempertegas pendirian negara dalam isu geopolitik serantau di hadapan pemimpin dunia.
JBPM Terengganu berdepan kesukaran padam kebakaran
JBPM Terengganu menghadapi kesukaran memadamkan kebakaran di Kampung Sungai Ikan Kuala Nerus yang melibatkan lebih 75% tapak pelupusan sampah
Polis jangka laporan baharu selepas berkas guru tahfiz
Polis Kelantan menjangkakan lebih banyak laporan polis berkenaan pencabulan di sebuah pusat tahfiz di Machang selepas penahanan seorang guru.
Polis Jerman rampas 4 kereta Bugatti Veyron edisi terhad yang dikaitkan dengan 1MDB
Kenderaan berkenaan dikatakan sebahagian daripada siri "Legenda" khas Bugatti Veyron, dengan hanya 18 daripada supercar tersebut dibina dalam enam spesifikasi.
Thailand, 17 lagi negara gesa pembebasan segera tawanan di Gaza
Pemimpin 18 negara dalam satu kenyataan bersama menggesa pembebasan segera semua tawanan termasuk warganegara mereka sendiri yang ditahan Hamas di Gaza.
Malaysia perlu masa untuk teliti cadangan visa bersama enam negara ASEAN
Malaysia memerlukan lebih masa untuk meneliti cadangan Thailand mengenai program visa bersama dengan enam negara ASEAN lain.
Malaysia, Thailand tingkatkan kerjasama perangi jenayah rentas sempadan
Kerjasama itu telah dibincangkan ketika mesyuarat dua hala beliau dengan Timbalan Perdana Menteri merangkap Menteri Dalam Negeri Thailand Anutin Charnvirakul pada Khamis.
Konflik Myanmar: ASEAN tegas kepentingan laksana Konsensus Lima Perkara
ASEAN tegaskan semula komitmen bantu Myanmar cari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan Konsensus Lima Perkara.
Suspek kes tembak di KLIA dipercayai cuba lari ke luar negara melalui Thailand
Suspek dipercayai membuat pemeriksaan kesihatan di sebuah hospital swasta lebih awal sebelum kejadian tembakan di KLIA berlaku.
Kedutaan Thailand pantau rapat konflik Iran-Israel
Semua kedutaan Thailand di rantau Timur Tengah telah diarahkan untuk terus memantau ketegangan antara Iran dan Israel.
Usaha ubah stigma, tujuh wakil rakyat berbaju Melayu ke Parlimen Thailand
Kesemua mereka merupakan wakil rakyat dari Parti Prachachart dari tiga wilayah majoriti Melayu di Selatan Thailand.
Ranking pasukan bola sepak Vietnam merudum selepas kekalahan dalam aksi kelayakan
Skuad itu kehilangan 30.04 mata selepas dua kekalahan berturut-turut kepada Indonesia pada Mac.
Thailand dan UK akan bentuk perkongsian strategik
Thailand dan United Kingdom akan mengumumkan secara rasmi hubungan mereka sebagai satu Perkongsian Strategik pada Rabu.
14 tentera laut Thailand cedera, kapal terbakar terkena tembakan meriam
Tembakan artileri tentera laut itu dilepaskan dari artileri depan HTMS Chonburi terkena bahagian belakang HTMS Khirirat.