Several of Thailand’s embattled hoteliers and influencers are making a concerted push back against covid-related restrictions, demanding that quarantine and testing requirements for foreign visitors are abandoned so the country can fully open up again. Hotel occupancy rates are as low as 10% while tourist destinations in neighbouring countries are flourishing again with visitors attracted by the easier entry and travel requirements 
.
“When we look at the quarantine and the Test & Go, the Test & Go is not working well. It’s the biggest inhibition. Hotels cannot make ends meet with these kinds of occupancies. We have to open the country,” said C9 Hotelworks Managing Director Bill Barnett, speaking at the Thailand Tourism Leadership Summit of the Thailand Tourism Forum 2022.
Ms. Proudputh Liptapanlop, Executive Director of Proud Group, which owns InterContinental branded hotels in Hua Hin and Phuket, echoed Bill’s sentiments. “In Thailand, we need to open up. We need everyone to understand that we need to open up the country for their good and for the benefit of the country,” she said .
With the aim of working hand-in-hand with government departments to get tourism back on track, the influential CEOs signed a Thailand Tourism Pledge which sets out their joint vision for the future. Together, these leaders committed to forging a new strategic direction for Thailand, including :
- Placing tourism at the forefront of the national economy
- Putting the service sector back to work
- Achieving sustainable growth
- Making international visitors feel safe and secure.
Tourism leaders call for a full opening up of the country as concerns emerge that Thailand is losing the initiative to regional competitors and will not achieve 10 million arrivals in 2022
Mr. Bill Heinecke, Chairman/Founder Minor International, added: “If we don’t open up we can’t be competitive. Currently the rules are just too complicated. We are not even 10% of where we were pre-Covid and Thailand will not reach its target of 10 million arrivals in 2022. We are falling behind. We are not even keeping up with our neighbours.”
“There’s no choice anymore,” commented Marisa Sukosol, President of Thailand Hotels Association. “Thailand must open up and stop Test & Go. In fact, it must Let It Go! We need to move our mentality from a pandemic to an endemic.”
