Thailand was among the first countries in Asia to reopen for foreign arrivals, and it is seeing a slow recovery, including new hotels touting longer stays for individual travellers.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to reuters.com"About 70% of total bookings came from Europe, including Germany, UK, Scandinavian countries, followed by the U.S., Middle East, and Asia," chief executive Wallapa Traisorat told Reuters, adding that domestic travel helped. "For November, we should see 30% occupancy, and in the fourth quarter we hope to see better momentum from the reopening.
Thailand, one of the region's most popular destinations, is heavily dependent on tourism. In 2019, 40 million arrivals spent 1.91 trillion baht .is moving ahead with plans to open a 1.1 billion baht hotel on the island of Samui in December. Initially the property expects most guests to be locals on longer stays, said Centara Hotels chief financial officer Gun Srisompong.
"Demand patterns have changed. Individual travellers on longer stays and 'workations' need more personalisation," Srisompong said.Thinner crowds and discounts made for a more pleasant experience, said German tourist Markus Klarer.Despite the reopening, some businesses said COVID rules still made some things hard.
"Tourists are not fully confident and still confused with government regulations," said Chitchai Senwong, a restaurant manager in Bangkok, citing a government rule that prohibits alcohol consumption after 9 p.m.Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Gerry DoyleSubscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox.
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