C T Online Desk: Chinese tourists accounted for nearly a third of Thailand’s visitors prior to Covid, so their pending return has local businesses hoping for a much needed boost but a full recovery from the crisis remains a way off.
Some 11.5 million Chinese visitors went to places like Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai in 2019. While next year’s numbers are set to be much lower, it will still be difficult for Thailand’s hotels, travel firms and entertainment venues to cope. Most businesses aren’t financially able to hire or upgrade facilities quickly after a dry spell of more than two years, during which millions of people changed jobs or headed back to family-run farms.
A labor shortage will be a major issue in seaside provinces like Phuket because of a mismatch between rising demand and inadequate personnel, said Suksit Suvunditkul, president of the Thai Hotels Association Southern Chapter. Top-end hotels are offering bonuses to entice back former employees, he said. “A full recovery hinges on arrivals from China, which are not expected to return en masse in the first half of 2023.”
