This scene seems to clearly illustrate the devastation of the Covid-19 epidemic on the tourism industry of the Golden Temple, especially on an island famous for its never-sleeping nightlife, which once attracted about 15 million. visitors per year, according to New York Times. Just a few weeks ago, Phuket seemed ready for a comeback. After a year away from foreign tourists, the Thai government decided to allow vaccinated visitors to Phuket in July without going through quarantine. This is part of a project called the Phuket Sandbox. However, the land of the Golden Temple is facing the worst outbreak of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, partly due to the rich people coming to Phuket, Bangkok to party without adhering to the social gap. Due to the epidemic, Phuket’s beaches are deserted even at the time of year attracting tourists. The number of new daily reported infections increased from 26 on 1 April to more than 2,000 just three weeks later. In early December 2020, Thailand had only 4,000 cases of Covid-19. For months, Thailand’s strict quarantine, blockade and mandatory masking measures have helped limit the spread of the epidemic despite having a significant impact on the economy. But in the latest outbreak, the country’s government responded slowly. In Phuket alone, it was not until April 22, when cases of SARS-CoV-2 were recorded at a record high, did the local government begin to request Covid-19 screening for those arriving on the island. On April 18, the Thai tourism minister admitted that Phuket reopening on July 1 seems unlikely because it will depend on the anti-epidemic situation in Thailand. Bleak In preparation for Phuket Sandbox, the Thai government has provided a variety of vaccines to the island, in hopes of gaining public immunity by the summer. As of mid-April, more than 20% of Phuket’s residents have been vaccinated. However, the picture is still very bleak. Usually at this time of year, the golden sands of Patong Beach will be overflowing with foreign tourists. But now, they are almost abandoned, where some local residents line up for Covid-19 tests. On the way, reptiles can freely move around without fear of being hit by traffic. The absence of international tourists makes life difficult for local residents in Phuket. In mid-April, the Songkran festival is seen as a rehearsal for Phuket’s revival. Instead of foreign visitors, hotels try to attract wealthy locals who, if not for the pandemic, would have gone to Hokkaido (Japan) for a vacation or to shop in Paris (France). However, rather than preparing for a comeback as a tourist paradise, the Songkran festival seems to have spoiled the island’s chances of reopening in July. At the festival in Patong and other beaches in April, thousands of wealthy Thais party, wear bikinis more than masks. To them, Covid-19 is just a virus that can infect vegetable vendors or manual labor, not the upper class. However, subsequent viral test results showed how wrong their thinking was. Many local workers had to line up to receive food assistance due to loss of jobs during the epidemic. The outbreak of the epidemic after months of economic difficulties is also causing the majority of Phuket’s residents to suffer. Just watching a 3-year-old elephant nibble on a cane nearby, Jaturaphit Jandarot lay slowly swinging in a hammock, with nothing else to do. Before the pandemic, he and other elephant managers on the outskirts of Patong used to bring in more than 100 tourists a day, mostly from China. “I am delighted to know they will open Phuket to foreign tourists. Thais do not ride elephants, “Jandarot said. But no matter what the tourism situation, the elephants still need to be fed. . “Of course, we want to welcome people to Phuket, but when they do not defend themselves and bring Covid-19 here, I am somewhat angry,” said Huda Panan, a primary school teacher. Being a taxi driver, unemployed for a year. At one point, mosques in Phuket distributed food to the local people. The long line of people quickly ran out of food. “We can wait a little longer to improve Phuket situation, but not too long,” said Panan.

The most famous resort island in the Golden Temple has its own international airport. So tourists can freely roam the island without risking spreading the virus to other parts of Thailand, according to Reuters . “If we can build immunity to 70-80% of the island’s population, we can accept vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine,” said Piyapong Choowong, deputy governor. Phuket, says. In addition to health workers, government cabinet members and the elderly, Thailand also prioritizes Phuket’s people to get vaccinated over other localities, emphasizing the central role tourism plays in the country’s economy. Phuket aims to complete the Covid-19 vaccination for the majority of its population by July 1. Before the pandemic, foreign visitors contributed 11-12% of Thailand’s GDP. However, the country’s tourism industry has lost 1.45 million jobs since the outbreak. In 2020, only 6.7 million foreign tourists come to Thailand, spending about 11 billion USD, down from 40 million visitors and 61 billion USD in 2019. In the third quarter of this year, the government of the Golden Temple expects at least 100,000 tourists to return to Phuket. As the global vaccination program progresses, the number is expected to be 6.5 million visitors in the fourth quarter and spend $ 11 billion. “It is a challenge but if it succeeds, it will contribute to the country’s GDP to some extent. We do not expect visitors to come massively like a dam break but hope there will be many generous visitors,” said Yuthasak Supasorn , Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said. He said tourists from Europe, the United Arab Emirates and the US will return to Thailand first. Thailand’s most famous resort island hopes to soon return the tourism industry to normal thanks to the early vaccination program. During the outbreak, strict 14-day quarantine requirements for foreign tourists helped Thailand limit the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections to about 29,100 cases and 95 deaths. However, it is this plan that also makes many tourists afraid to come here to travel. Long-term tourist attraction programs that test negative for SARS-CoV-2 have largely failed, even with innovative measures such as “golf isolation”. Songklod Wongchai, an analyst at Finansia Syrus, believes Thailand can quickly revive its tourism industry. This expert gave an example of the Maldives, the island nation whose hotel booking rate rebounded to 70-80% despite cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. “Increased demand could come back faster than expected. I think the ‘land of smiles’ will soon start to smile again, ”Wongchai said.

“People will carefully celebrate Songkran at home,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on April 6. He asserted that the regulations of a state of emergency still apply in response to the Covid-19 epidemic. All provincial governors are allowed to enact more stringent anti-epidemic measures if necessary. So, one year from now, the streets of Thailand will be free from laughing crowds, water gun fights from locals and tourists. Thailand attracts thousands of foreign visitors each year thanks to the Songkran water festival. Photo: Reuters. Songkran Festival usually starts on April 13 every year and takes place for 2 days. This year, the Thai government approved an additional day off on April 12 to give Thais a week-long vacation, to encourage people to travel, boosting the economy. However, the back outbreak of the epidemic destroyed the opportunity to revive the economy of the Golden Temple during the festival. Economic impact The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts a rebound of the disease could cause tourists to reduce spending during the Songkran festival by 2.4 billion baht ($ 75 million). Many tourists have canceled their schedule to Thailand and checked out the hotel. “About 20% of the number of pre-booked rooms in major cities like Phuket, Pattaya and Hua Hin has been canceled,” said Pisoot Saekool, president of the Thai Hotel Association. The Thai Hotel Association and the Tourism Authority expect tourist spending on Songkran to drop to 9.6 billion baht, down from an earlier prediction of around 12 billion baht. Although more than 300,000 Thai people have been vaccinated with Covid-19, outbreaks are still popping up in Bangkok and can spread across the country during the Songkran holiday as many return home. As of April 7, Thailand had a total of 29,905 Covid-19 cases. Of which, 28,069 people recovered, 95 died. Many pubs and restaurants in big cities have to close temporarily to maintain social distance. This year, Khao San Road, a famous place to attract foreign visitors during the water splash festival, will no longer have crowds playing around, splashing water on each other. Photo: Akira Kodaka. At the upcoming festival, the Thai Covid-19 Situation Management Center (CCSA) only allows traditional activities such as pouring perfume on a Buddha statue. However, this operation should also be carried out at a distance of at least 1.5 m. With no public events and celebrations left, spending by locals on Songkran is also expected to drop significantly. A poll conducted by the Thai Chamber of Commerce University shows that this year’s Songkran will be less noisy as more Thais plan to stay at home. Holiday spending is expected to fall below 100 billion baht ($ 3.1 billion). This figure is still better than the Songkran festival in 2020, but much lower than the annual average of more than 135 billion baht. Khao San Road, a popular place to attract foreign visitors during the water festival, is also said to be very quiet as no public events are allowed, meaning the sales are bleak. business in this area. Sa-nga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Business Association, said the number of tourists is expected to plummet this year as fun activities such as splashing water and powder on each other are prohibited. “Before the Covid-19 pandemic, our revenue during the Songkran season was about 100 million baht per day. This year, however, I think it was only about 10 million baht,” Ruangwattanakul said.