Travel industry takes the road to recovery

Hopes rise as borders reopen and flights resume

Thai tour guide Suchira Kaewkerdket is feeling hopeful again after her country opened its doors wider to visitors on Nov 1, rolling out the welcome mat to arrivals from more than 60 countries and regions.

"It was quite a big change when the government announced the latest reopening," she said. "Compared with the previous limited opening, tourists now have more opportunities and choice to fly to Thailand. I feel happy that hope is returning."

Such sentiments are not only being voiced in Thailand, but by travel industry insiders in many nations in Southeast Asia and beyond, as governments begin easing COVID-19 travel curbs in an attempt to shore up pandemic-hit economies.

From Singapore and Malaysia, to Sri Lanka and Vietnam, borders are starting to reopen after months of pandemic-induced restrictions and lockdowns.

Experts said these moves offer relief for the travel, hospitality and retail sectors, but it may take many months, probably years, before the situation returns to normal for industries severely hit by COVID.

The pandemic remains a threat, with new virus variants and the prospect of even more dangerous strains emerging.

Governments are basically in experimental mode as they welcome back international travelers, but any major new COVID outbreak could prompt a reversal of the reopening, according to industry personnel.

Christopher Khoo, managing director at international tourism consultancy MasterConsult Services, said, "The travel industry has been severely hit by the pandemic－probably the most severely affected－and any restart will be seen as welcome relief."

However, the industry should be prepared for more surprises next year and beyond. "It may be a case of two steps forward and one step back," he said.

Karori Singh, an Emeritus Fellow at the University of Rajasthan in India, said reviving devastated economies is a daunting task for countries in the region.

"The easing of travel restrictions is a major step toward reviving the tourism industry," Singh said, noting that countries have begun relaxing visa rules and reviving visa-on-arrival measures.

"But the problem is exorbitant air fares … and fears of a new wave of infections are constraining the tourism revival," Singh said, adding that the World Health Organization has warned countries in Europe and other nations about a possible rise in new COVID cases.

Given these concerns, nations in South Asia are proceeding cautiously in relaxing travel restrictions despite the pressing need for a tourism revival, Singh said.

Last month, the Indian government decided to relax quarantine rules for international passengers arriving from certain countries.

From Oct 25, foreigners from designated countries arriving in India have been allowed to leave airports and self-monitor their health for 14 days after arrival.

Island arrivals

On July 1, Thailand launched a pilot opening program, dubbed the Phuket Sandbox, allowing quarantine-free travel for vaccinated tourists to the popular resort island.

This month, the country expanded its reopening, welcoming back vaccinated visitors from 63 "low-risk" countries and regions, including China.

These visitors are allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine requirements, but must stay at a designated hotel for the first night to wait for their on-arrival COVID-19 test results.

The Thailand Pass was launched to support the reopening, allowing foreign travelers to complete their travel and health information and upload related documents before arriving in the country.

Suchira, the Thai travel industry worker, who has been an independent tour guide since 1998, said it was a big shock when the country shut its borders to most foreign visitors in April last year after local transmissions of COVID-19 started to rise.

"I had no income," she said, adding that like many of her peers she had to rely on savings to survive.

A former journalist, Suchira started a YouTube channel, on which she discussed Thai tourism and culture. With nearly 30,000 subscribers, her earnings from the platform helped cover her daily expenses.

Since Thailand's broadened reopening on Nov 1, she has received many more inquiries from foreigners interested in visiting the country. She has also had to hire more people to help her respond to the inquiries and provide trip-planning services.

"I used to work by myself, but now I have seven people on my team. I have to read almost 200 emails a day, but the recovery is a very good sign," Suchira said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, will expand its special exemption from quarantine, or TEST and GO, from Jan 1 to cover tourists from all over the world.

Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, the agency's deputy governor for marketing and communications, said on Nov 1 that with the reopening, TAT is targeting total tourism revenue of 1.58 trillion baht ($48 billion) next year, with 818 billion baht coming from 13 million international arrivals.

The Bangkok Post quoted TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn as saying the tourism industry has already passed the lowest point, with 2,000 to 3,000 visitors a day now arriving in the country.

Bill Barnett, managing director of hospitality consultancy for C9 Hotelworks in Thailand, noting there were some 14,000 arrivals in Bangkok and 8,000 in Phuket in the first week of this month, said the numbers are a positive indication even though the reopening is still in the early stages.

Hotels' reservations for next month are quite strong, as they are seeing their booking pace pick up, Barnett said.