A majority of people either will not travel during the long New Year holidays or are still undecided due to Covid-19 concerns, according a survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was conducted online on 1,304 people throughout the country from Dec 6-9 to compile travel plans over the New Year holidays.
Asked whether they would travel over the period, 40.57% said they would not, citing concerns over the new Covid-19 variant Omicron, economic problems and unfavourable traffic conditions. A further 34.35% said they definitely would, saying that they had been fully vaccinated, wanted to rest and relax and had planned their trips in advance. The rest, 25.08%, were still uncertain.
Asked to name the five provinces they most wanted to visit, Chiang Mai came first with 41.22%, followed by Chiang Rai with 25.68%, Prachuap Khiri Khan with 25.00%, Nan with 23.65% and Chon Buri with 20.27%.
Asked what should be done to promote tourism during the long New Year holidays, 64.42% said tour operators' health safety measures should be certified by the Public Health Ministry; 63.57% said the government should create confidence in measures against Covid-19 at tourist spots; 46.51% said the government should introduce more financial assistance programmes to promote tourism; 46.05% said tour operators should launch promotional campaigns; and 45.81% said people should be provided with subsidies for buying consumer goods.