PUT TOURISM IN A COMA AND FOCUS ON THE VIRUS

https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/tourism/thailand-focuses-on-international-but-needs-domestic-tourism#comment-383625

The author has framed this piece round the idea that the govt (TAT) has focused on hopelessly trying to revive intl tourism in the midst of a pandemic, while - he argues - the focus should be on domestic.

It is just a story. 

What the author doesn't say is that the economy runs 20% on the foreign currency from intl tourism and you simply cannot replace that slug from within the domestic economy. Never mind that domestic tourism would only infect the whole country. 

If Thai strategists were to follow his advice, and succeed, what are his proposals for generating the other, say, 10%? The electric car?

It is true - and has been often remarked - that expecting intl tourism in the midst of this pandemic is a madness.

What could be done is to hibernate the industry (it is now in large part destroyed) by upgrading assets and retraining staff; and to focus on defeating the virus.

Had the govt spent a bit of its foreign reserves on improvements and vaccines, it would come out ready for a bumper high season 2021/2

The objective should be to hibernate the industry and race to defeat the virus, after which the industry can be re-animated.

Not waste resources trying to squeeze ordinary Thais, with low incomes and already high debts.