Thailand Ministry of Health reports 21,162 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 65 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 23,159 recovered patients.
The hotels have posted huge losses during the pandemic. According to the survey, 63% of the hotels recorded an average occupancy rate of less than 30%. This is despite the Test and Go scheme revived recently.
Thai Hotels Association (THA) president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi said that 75% of the hotels project a 30% occupancy rate. However, 37% of the hotels were the ones who were able to reach the target.
The average occupancy rate increased from 32% to 34% in the month of January. This is largely due to the We Travel Together and Test and Go schemes.
“Even though the Test & Go scheme has resumed, local tourists were still the majority of our customers. Almost half of the hoteliers who took the survey said international guests made up less than 10% of their bookings,” Mrs. Marisa said.
Only 20% of the hotels registered international guests and accounted for 50% of the total number of guests. The small number of tourists traveling is largely in part of the Test and Go and Thailand Pass complications. The RT-PCR tests are particularly costly for many.
Due to the uncertainty faced by the hotels with the pandemic situation, the THA is asking for some help. They are requesting the government to reduce the land and building tax by 90% until 2023. Right after Songkran will be the off-peak season. The unemployment rate increased to 59.8% for most hotels.
At the moment, 43% of the hotels are struggling to find qualified personnel. Some of the positions lacking skilled workers are the front office, food and beverage, kitchen, and marketing. Due to the low occupancy rate, most hotels resorted to hiring part-time staff. Some resorted to increasing the permanent staff salary instead.
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