Chinese tourists are expected to resume their travels soon as the Covid-19 situation in China stabilises and subsides. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn said outbound tour operators in China had informed partners in Thailand that two provinces, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, had lifted travel restrictions.

Yuthasak said operators in China expected most mainland residents to start taking domestic trips next month before resuming outbound trips later.
“This is the critical point we have to discuss. China has passed over 45 days of virus containment. Chinese tour operators are desperate to restart business. If at that time Thailand is still an unsafe place for travel, we’ll lose the opportunity.”

While the government prepares measures to cope with the spread of the Covid-19, the TAT will work with the private sector to prepare a safety and health administration programme.

The TAT and Public Health Ministry were implementing regulatory outlines to raise the cleaning and hygiene standards of tourism services such as attractions, hotels and restaurants.
The programme aimed to win the confidence of tourists as they increasingly prioritise health |and safety issues when choosing a destination.
The five TAT offices in China had been assigned to monitor the safety manuals and practices of tourism attractions in the mainland as case studies for assuring consumer confidence.After getting results, the TAT will summarise them to the Public Health Ministry and come up with complete guidelines.

The TAT will seek cooperation from state agencies to give incentives to operators who are committed to keeping their employees or creating more job opportunities upon joining the programme. Yuthasak said tourism businesses were in agreement on the initiative. The industry would kick off with a clean-up drive nationwide once Thailand had the Covid-19 virus contained.