Thailand is aiming high for 100 million domestic trips this year as the international travel market will not be likely to return to normal soon because of the COVID-19. (Photo: Jing Daily)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry is aiming high for 100million domestic trips this year as the international travel market willnot be likely to return to normal soon because of the COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has revised down the pre-pandemictarget of 172 million trips for domestic tourism to 80 million trips in 2020.

The newdomestic target is reachable because local travel is likely to resume first,particularly for government meetings and incentives, said TAT governor YuthasakSupasorn.

Last year, 13million outbound trips were made and many of these travellers cannot take anytrips abroad this year, a segment the TAT expects will redirect into domestictravel.

There aresigns from travel agencies that Thais are starting to book local rooms forholidays, he said, adding that the TAT is pinning hopes on domestic consumptionand maintain the overall goal of 1.23 trillion baht (38.33 billion USD) revenuethis year.

Tourism has beenthe driving force for Thailand’s growth in recent years. Before the COVID-19outbreak, the country expected that revenues from the “smokeless” industrywould make up at least 20 percent of its GDP this year. However, tourism wasthe first sector hard hit by the pandemic.

Data from theTourism and Sports Ministry reveals that the number of domestic trips plunged29.5 percent in the first quarter of 2020 to 24.1 million while revenue fromlocal travel shrank 33.7 percent to 180 billion baht.

Thailandreported one new COVID-19 infection on May 14, taking the total count to 3,018,including 2,850 recoveries and 56 deaths.

In Indonesia,the government is set to provide a 25 trillion rupiah (1.68 billion USD)stimulus package that includes airfare and hotel discounts to speed up therecovery of the travel industry after the pandemic subsides.

Tourism is oneof the hardest-hit sectors by the current health crisis, with no fewer than 1.4million workers within the sector having been laid off.

💖 FinanceMinistry’s Fiscal Policy Agency head Febrio Kacaribu said on May 13 that thestimulus package, which aims to boost consumption among the middle class, wouldbe effective by the third quarter when COVID-19 restrictions are expected to berelaxed./.