No tourists means no money - Incentives coming for domestic tourists

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Pattaya, Bang Saen vendors pray for tourists

2-month shutdown leaves many reeling

by Mongkol Bangprapa

3 Jun 2020

After having had to close their businesses for two months due to Covid-19, vendors along Pattaya and Bang Saen beaches in Chon Buri province are now praying tourists will return after the government initiated its Phase-2 easing of lockdown measures.

The beach in Pattaya was once packed with tourists but has been deserted since the government imposed the emergency decree on March 9, effectively reducing the number of jet skis, banana boats and people.

Many vendors were not getting their hopes up on Monday, when Phase 2 began and when the beaches were allowed to reopen and water sports could resume, after only two visitors rented boats.

"Foreign tourists -- my main clients -- will not return in the near future," Nantika Mesnukul, 53, the owner of a massage parlour at the southern end of Pattaya beach, told the Bangkok Post.

Ms Nantika said vendors relying on domestic tourists, who make up 45% of all Pattaya's visitors are also not getting their hopes up and keeping expectations realistic.

"The problem is that despite the easing of the lockdown, the city of Pattaya is still keeping the [nearby] Walking Street that attracts many tourists and visitors closed," she said.

"The government and local administration must reopen Pattaya's Walking Street if they want to see tourists return," the businesswoman said.

"But officials cannot just open the street, they need to implement measures to maintain hygiene and educate people on how to protect themselves and prevent Covid-19 transmission," Ms Nantika added.

She said massage parlours have suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak, and the government's handout have hardly helped.

She said she has had to mortgage her home to prevent her business from going under.

The lockdown has hit vendors on Pattaya beach very hard with some having been left penniless.

Saichon Muanghong, 45, who rented out beach mats and sold ornaments made out of seashells, has been living in the area for seven years and used to earn at least 200 baht per day before the lockdown now relies on free food to survive.

Meanwhile, Edo Valjevac, 64, a Croatian national and a Fifa-registered football coach who moved to Pattaya just over a year ago, said there is a bright side to the lockdown.

"I enjoy social distancing and the beach having been closed has meant nature and the sea have had time to recover [from human activity]," Mr Valjevac said.

"The lockdown has allowed Pattaya to regenerate itself," he said.

"Now the town can reopen in a better environmental condition," he added.

At Bang Saen beach, vendors are more hopeful than their Pattaya counterparts. Here, families flocked to eat seafood and pray at local temples.

Kanchana Chitpattanakul, 55, a fish seller, said that despite the lockdown, she could still sell fish to visitors who made trips despite not being able to go on the beach.

Oranuch Yimlamai, 56, a fruit vendor at the Khao Sam Muk mountain near the Bang Saen beach said visitors came to buy fruit for the monkeys nearby.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... r-tourists
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Big push for local tourism

4m to get vouchers, free trips for medics

by Dusida Worrachaddejchai and Narumon Kasemsuk

3 June, 2020

The Finance Ministry has agreed to a plan to launch a major domestic tourism promotion next month by giving 2,000-3,000 baht vouchers to 4 million people and free trips to 1.2 million medical personnel.

The campaign is aimed at boosting the economy and reviving the tourism sector, said Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.

According to the minister, the Finance Ministry agreed to the scheme proposed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Under the promotion, one million tourism vouchers will be allocated to each of the country's four regions on a first-come first-served basis.

Krungthai Bank will develop an app to support the registration and the allocation of the vouchers, which will be provided between July and October.

While the government has reopened many more businesses and activities under its third phase of easing of the countrywide lockdown, the tourism sector remains a laggard as many tourists are still hesitant about travelling.

Mr Phiphat said the two ministries will finalise the overall budget and details of the scheme and the finance minister will submit it for cabinet approval later this month.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said the scheme called Tiew Pun Suk (trips to share happiness) will focus on Thais planning to take inter-provincial trips between July and October.

They would have to register using the app to buy hotel vouchers first. Upon checking in with the vouchers, the government would give a cash rebate to spenders via an electronic wallet and tourists could then use that money to spend on rooms, restaurants, spas or souvenirs.

The thank-you gift for 1.2 million medical personnel such as village health volunteers and subdistrict health promotion hospital workers is to encourage them to take trips of up to three days using local tourism operators.

Mr Yuthasak said the overall budget now is about 8-12 billion baht but if the Finance Ministry would like to expand the number of recipients to more than the 4 million people and 1.2 million medical personnel currently planned, the budget could go up.

Even though the third phase of the country lockdown relaxation has been implemented and people can begin to travel inter-provincially, there are still travel restrictions in many provinces that require a quarantine period and which prevent visitors travelling freely.

For the possible replacement Songkran holidays expected in July, Mr Yuthasak disagreed with the idea of the having an entire week as a holiday. Instead, he said the government should have a holiday on the Friday or the Monday of each week throughout July to avoid large crowds gathering.

"It would be better for operators to have more tourists during long holidays for the whole month rather than welcome them once and then they all go away," he said.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/19 ... al-tourism