Words from a wise man, Minor International founder warns of more job cuts, closures
Minor International Plc, which runs more than 500 hotels across 55 countries, may cut more jobs and shut recently re-opened properties as the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions continue to keep guests away. “We have hotels that can’t even pay for staff or electricity because they’re totally empty,” Bill Heinecke, chairman and founder of Bangkok-based […]
B3,000 cash handout develops
The Finance Ministry is finalising details of the 3,000-baht cash handout scheme, with initial daily spending disbursed through an e-wallet application and a cap of 100 baht. Details are expected to be finalised by the Fiscal Policy Office before submission to the Center for Economic Situation Administration on Thursday, said a Finance Ministry source speaking […]
Phuket learns the hard way
Resort island looks to diversify after Covid-19 cripples tourism Phuket has been forced to take on board a difficult lesson: that it shouldn’t have clung to tourism as its single, dominant cash cow. The country may have managed to flatten the Covid-19 curve, but the economic curve risks going into freefall. Tourism has been one […]
Tourism Council of Thailand warns of operators fleeing sector
Tourism-related businesses are at a tipping point after more than 30% of them have exited the market, with many set to follow, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT). Chairat Trirattanajarasporn, president of the TCT, said the tourism industry predicts a further deterioration after six months of the coronavirus crisis, as many related businesses […]
Foreigners can apply for visa extensions after July 31
Foreign visitors still stranded in the kingdom by the Covid-19 pandemic will be allowed to apply for an extended short stay after their visas expire on July 31, the Immigration Bureau chief said on Friday. Foreign tourists who are unable to leave Thailand would be given a grace period from Aug 1 to Sept 26 to apply […]
Covid tests negative for 1,603 people in Rayong, Bangkok
There was no infection found among the 1,603 people tested for Covid-19 after being in places visited by an infected Egyptian soldier in Rayong and the infected young daughter of a diplomat in Bangkok. In Rayong, 1,336 people underwent coronavirus tests on Tuesday. They had been at the hotel where the infected Egyptian stayed, or at one […]
Returning soldiers’ quarantine site changed to Bangkok
oldiers of the Royal Thai Army, heading back next week from a joint military exercise with US troops in Hawaii, will be placed in state quarantine at a hotel in Bangkok, not in Nakhon Ratchasima as earlier planned. The northeastern province’s governor made the announcement today. He had previously approved a request from the 3rd […]
PM urges return to ‘normality’ after scare
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called on residents in Rayong to resume their normal lives while Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha confirmed no local transmissions had turned up in the province after an infected Egyptian soldier stayed there without being quarantined. The premier on Wednesday travelled to Rayong from Bangkok by helicopter to observe […]
Khon Kaen set to become transport hub
The second phase of the Sino-Thai high-speed railway (HSR) will help Khon Kaen realise its potential as a transport hub in the Northeast, according to provincial governor Somsak Jangtrukul. “When the high-speed trains are ready to roll, Khon Kaen will be [the region’s] public transportation hub,” said the governor at the second public hearing for […]
Majority against opening country to foreigners: Poll
A majority of people are still opposed to opening the country to foreigners who are not infected with Covid-19, reasoning that the global coronavirus situation is still very serious, according to a survey carried out by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. The poll was conducted on July 6-8 on 1,251 people […]