The Latest Breaking News from THA

Landlords in the hotel sector have raised concerns about the government's policy to confiscate vacant land which has not been utilised for 10 years as there are no proper schemes or environment-related laws from state authorities to help develop the land for public benefit.

Despite fully reopening in July, the employment rate in the hotel sector stands at just 71% of the pre-pandemic level with 68% of hotels hit by a labour shortage, according to the Thai Hotels Association (THA).

Thai tourism earned 157 billion baht in the first seven months from 3.15 million international travellers, while the Tourism and Sports Ministry is maintaining the target of 10 million tourists despite Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's suggestion that the tally would be lower.

Tourism and hospitality businesses that proposed stimulus measures to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha remain sceptical that the suggestions will be put into practice, as related authorities may be reluctant to help.

Hotel operators have voiced mixed feelings over travel sentiment for the two long holidays in July as the spike in Covid-19 infections and oil prices continue to impact tourism.

The highly transmissible BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron are keeping people alert to a possible outbreak, but Covid-19 may not be the most serious concern as the economy ambles forward.

Hotels are crying foul over the new land appraisal rules the Treasury Department is set to apply for the land and building tax from next year, saying the decision could deeply hurt the hospitality sector.

Hotel operators' request for an extension of the land tax reduction was dismissed by the finance minister, prompting the Thai Hotels Association (THA) to seek a new solution to ease cash-strapped operators' financial burden.

Hoteliers have mixed feelings about a new phase of the hotel subsidy scheme "We Travel Together" after the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) suggested hotels could offer a 50% discount for an additional 1 million room nights.

Though Thailand tested the waters with the Sandbox and Test and Go reopening schemes last year, the tourism industry still struggled to post arrival numbers anywhere close to the pre-pandemic level, as the total number of foreign visitors last year tallied 427,869.

Authorities say Thailand is on track to regain its spot as one of the world's top tourist destinations, with a goal of earning 1.5 trillion baht this year after the elimination of RT-PCR tests upon arrival and the Test & Go scheme from May 1.