Thailand’s Government said there is no official date for the country to reopen its borders to tourists. Authorities remain on high alert due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be ‘very, very cautious’ while going about future tourism plans.
This is according to deputy governor, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, who predicted that the country is likely to remain shut until 2021, reports Asia Insider.
Thailand relies heavily on international tourism.
Travel bubbles with certain low-risk countries have been rumoured to open in October and will likely be trialled in Phuket first if seen through, according to Bloomberg.
‘The virus won’t go away soon and we have to think about the economy. But we can’t just reopen the borders. We have to be careful,’ Transport Minister Saksiam Chidchob said. ‘Thailand has a limited budget so we have to make sure we can control the disease well.’
The country has had a relatively low number of positive COVID-19 cases (3,390) and 58 deaths. No local transmission has been recorded for the past three months, according to Bloomberg.
This popular island destination faces a dire financial situation as a result of the extended border lockdown, as two thirds of their tourism industry depends on international travel and makes up 20% of the country’s economy.
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