CHON BURI: Tourists are expected to soon start flocking back to Pattaya amid a far brighter Covid-19 outlook and with the mandatory 14-day quarantine no longer being enforced.
The president of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter, Phisut Sae-khu, said Chon Buri might be removed from the government's list of "red zones" after it reported zero new infections several days in a row.
Mr Phisut called for the loosening of restrictions, saying business people were facing a serious liquidity problem and many small- to medium-sized hotels had already gone out of business.
Nor could anyone yet predict how long it would take surviving businesses in the province to fully recover, he said.
The association president added that the province's lifting of the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for visitors to Pattaya offered some hope to the tourism sector.
Businesses in Pattaya and the local office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand were working together to promote the city's tourism, especially during the Songkran Festival in April this year when the pandemic is expected to significantly recede, he said.
Pattaya would also be re- branded with a focus on daytime activities, said Mr Phisut.
Meanwhile, Chon Buri governor Pakarathorn Thianchai said he had informed the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) of the province's recent zero case status.
Therefore, the easing of re- strictions in Chon Buri can be expected soon, he said.