InfoQuest, (February 13, 2020) -- Mr. Chairat Triratanatcharaphon, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) said the current outbreak of the novel coronavirus has severely imperiled the tourism industry, as China has suspended all tours and many other countries have also halted travel because of a lack of confidence.
"Therefore, at today's meeting, tourism operators across the country were invited to give suggestions, and the TCT required the government to take relief measures to help the tourism industry survive, such as suspending principal and interest payments, reducing the necessary interest rate to a lower rate and organizing campaigns to promote tourism.
Mr. Chairat said some of the measures approved by the cabinet on February 4, such as suspending principal repayments, were not yet adequate for the current situation, and did not mention the interest payment, which is a heavy burden on tourism operators. The TCT thus hoped the interest payment can be postponed for at least six months or until the situation returns to normal. TCT members also want an extension of the deadline for the payment of corporate income tax for one year and postponement of the social security contribution for six months or until the situation returns is resolved.
The 123 billion baht of credit approved by the cabinet is sufficient. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cannot meet the loan conditions, and thus the TCT would like the government to relax loan conditions so that SMEs and chain stores can apply for an approved credit line.
At the same time, the TCT hopes that the government will not conceal information. For example, if the infected people are chartered bus drivers and taxi drivers, the government should disclose detailed information, because it will have an impact on the whole.
"We will carefully review each of the measures approved by the cabinet yesterday to see whether they are forceful enough and in which aspect there exits insufficiency, and then summarize the results and submit them to government agencies including the Ministry of Tourism, the Standing Committee on Tourism as well as the upper and lower house," said Mr. Chairat.
A white paper will be formulated and submitted to the government within seven days of the completion of summarizing suggestions from tourism operators.
The TCT also evaluated the work of the government in the past period, and found that it was generally qualified, but the results were not very good, as the country is beset with risks, including the appreciation of the Thai baht and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. However, the TCT called for everyone to avoid differences and work together to help remove the plagues facing the country.
Source: InfoQuest, by Nisarat Wichiensri/ Kasamarporn / Rachada, translated by Xinhua Silk Road
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