The coronavirus outbreak in China has dealt a heavy blow to Thailand's tourism industry, as approximately half a million Thai people face the risk of losing their jobs amid the travel and export restrictions between the two countries, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) said in a report that was presented on Tuesday
BANGKOK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2020) The coronavirus outbreak in China has dealt a heavy blow to Thailand's tourism industry, as approximately half a million Thai people face the risk of losing their jobs amid the travel and export restrictions between the two countries, the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) said in a report that was presented on Tuesday.
"The results of our study suggest that if the epidemic in China continues till the mid-year, along with the related restrictions on the tourism and export sectors of Thailand, more than 500,000 Thai citizens working in these sectors will be left without work," Yongyuth Chalamwong, the institute's research director for labor market, said live on Thai channel TNN-24.
The TDRI conducts studies ordered by the authorities. This later report was commissioned by the Labor Ministry, which asked the institute to prepare a report on the possible effects coronavirus may have on Thailand's job market.
According to the ministry, the number of Chinese tourists decreased by more than 60 percent in the past month. The ministry also predicted that exports of fruits and other food products would sharply decrease in the next three months.
The new strain of coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, was first detected in China's Wuhan in December and has since spread to at least 25 countries. In China alone, the virus has already left more than 1,000 people dead and over 42,000 infected. Thailand is one of the worst-hit countries outside China, with the number of confirmed cases exceeding 30.
