The government expects about two million foreign tourists to visit Phuket this year after the island reopens to vaccinated visitors from July 1.
Tourism Council of Thailand vice president Vichit Prakobgosol said the holidaymakers may generate about 105 billion baht in revenue in the second half. It will be the first time in more than a year that the island allows visitors without the mandatory two-week quarantine.
He said the Chinese, who were the biggest group of tourists to Thailand before the pandemic, are expected to return in July on chartered flights, while visitors from Europe will likely start arriving during the winter months.
Mr Vichit said it’s good that the majority of countries with high numbers of vaccinations are the main markets for Thai tourism, adding that the government should finalize agreements and vaccine passports with various countries to allow visitors to return without having to quarantine.
