The labour shortage remains a challenge for the tourism industry in 2023 as tourism recovery has gathered pace since the full reopening in 2022.
The number of workers coming back to their positions was less than 70-80% of the pre-pandemic level, said Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
A study by the National Institute of Development Administration also showed that more than 60% of tourism operators could not achieve their employment target.
Inbound tour operators lost their experienced staff, while the number of new generation workers alone won't be able to cope with growing tourist demand next year.
Hotels cannot operate to their maximum capacity due to the discrepancy between the number of staff and guests, especially positions like housekeepers, gardeners and technicians.
The Thai Hotels Association believes that employing foreign labour will be the new normal, while hotels will have to outsource manpower to fill positions in F&B and reservations as well as technicians.
Meanwhile, airports will face congestion if flights continue to increase. This problem was seen at Suvarnabhumi airport last year when there were over 4,000 arrivals per hour.
In December, Thai Airways recruited more employees for ground handling to solve baggage delays at the airport.
