Southeast Asia feels the burn as virus keeps Chinese tourists at home

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Tourism slump is felt sharply in Thailand, where arrivals from China plunged by 90% so far this month. FMTNews SoutheastAsia

The tourism slump is felt sharply in Thailand, where arrivals from China plunged by 90% so far this month.

“We haven’t had any Chinese for 10 days since they closed the road from Yunnan,” says Ong Tau, 47, from behind her stall of fruit shakes in the temple-studded Laotian colonial town of Luang Prabang.Tour guides, mall workers and restaurant staff are all feeling the burn as Chinese – the world’s biggest travellers – stay at home in the middle of a global health crisis.

“We don’t know how to protect ourselves,” he added. “The government doesn’t tell people anything… so maybe less Chinese is a good thing for now.”The slump is being felt sharply in Thailand, where tourism authorities say arrivals from China – usually close to one million a month – have plunged by 90% so far this February.

Crocodile farms and tiger sanctuaries – controversial tourist beacons where visitors can pet the animals – are also deserted, leaving owners to feed expensive star attractions. “Our hopes that the economy will do better than last year are very low… it’s possible it could grow below 2%,” he added.Ma Mya, 22, who sells trinkets in Pattaya, says she may soon have to return to her home in northern Thailand.With so much riding on the seasonal influx, some Mekong countries are desperate not to deter those Chinese still travelling.

Source: Holiday News (holidaynews.net)

 

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