THE Association of Thai Travel Agents in mid-November submitted an open letter to Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry requesting Chinese tourists be allowed to enter the country by January under the travel-bubble program.

The program allows the entry of tourists without the need for them to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine.

ATTA President Vichit Prakobgosol said that Thailand has the potential to create travel bubbles with parts of China thanks to China’s success in containing the novel coronavirus. He said there are currently some low-risk provinces in China that have reported no new local cases for more than 150 days.

If Thailand can successfully establish a travel-bubble plan with China, the association estimates that the country will receive at least 300,000 travelers per month and generate tourism income of more than 15 billion baht (US$495.7 million), Vichit says. But if Thailand’s borders remain closed with no new international arrivals by the first quarter of next year, around 2 million workers in the tourism supply chain will lose their jobs, Vichit warns.

According to the tourism authority of Thailand, the number of foreign tourist arrivals hit almost 40 million in Thailand last year. The majority of the revenue came from short-haul markets in Asia, with almost 10 million visitors from China.(Xinhua)