Thai tourism firms form most business closure due to COVID-19 new wave
BANGKOK: The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) expects 2 million workers in tourism to lose jobs due to the new wave of COVID-19, Thai news agency (TNA) reported.
The council and Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya have found from their survey that a confidence index among tourism-related operators dropped to an unusually low level of 53 due to the new wave of COVID-19.
Tour guide firms formed the biggest part of business closure at 23 per cent, followed by entertainment business (22 per cent), spa and Thai traditional massage parlors (21 per cent), and hotels (20 per cent).
TCT president Chamnan Srisawat said COVID-19 caused suspension and salary reduction to more than 4 million workers in the tourism sector and the new wave of the disease could cost jobs of more than 2 million workers in the sector because most tour operators could not afford to maintain employment.
Many tourism-related operators may close their business before a COVID-19 vaccine is available and the Thai tourism sector can lose its opportunity to recover, he said.
Therefore, TCT viewed that a tourism-related labor bank should be established quickly so that the workers who were suspended or laid off could apply for jobs and employers could select the workers who suited their job vacancies, Chamnan said.
— BERNAMA
