Can Bangkok, loved by backpackers and luxury travellers and known for its temples, food and vibrant street life, survive coronavirus as a travel destination?
As the effects of coronavirus force a reset for tourism around the world, will Bangkok, one of the world’s most-visited cities, ever be the same again?
Bangkok tourist destination Khao San Road is usually heaving with people on weekends, with its cheap beer bars, tattoo parlours, street vendors, hostels and buzzing nightlife drawing budget travellers and tour group alike.
On a recent Saturday evening, the street was deserted except for a few dozen locals who wandered past boarded up shops, ignoring restaurant staff calling out meal and drink deals.
Khao San Road clearly shows the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Bangkok, the world’s most visited city for four consecutive years before the ban on international travel.
“I have never seen it like this. Usually we don’t have time to stand for even a minute,” said a waitress who goes by the name Pookie.
“Lots of businesses have shut here, and if we don’t see foreign tourists coming back soon, we may also shut. There are some locals coming on the weekends, but that’s not enough to keep us all going,” she said, pointing to the empty tables.
After a record 39.8 million foreign visitors last year whose spending accounted to 11.4 per cent of gross domestic product, Thailand had looked to welcome more than 40 million tourists this year.
But with flight bans and quarantines, the central bank expects only eight million visitors this year.