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Thailand’s restaurants hit hard by COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a heavy toll on Thailand's restaurant business, with 5,000-7,500 operators expected to leave the sector this year.
Thailand’s restaurants hit hard by COVID-19 ảnh 1Diners at a restaurant in Bangkok (Source: bangkokpost.com)

Bangkok (VNA) - The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a heavy toll on Thailand's restaurantbusiness, with 5,000-7,500 operators expected to leave the sector this year.

Ladda Sampawthong, Presidentof the Restaurant Business Association, said the sector is facing the worstcrisis over the past decade.

She forecast that10-15 percent of operators, especially large and mid-sized eateries, would exitthe country's 400-billion-baht (12.47 billion USD) industry this year.

According to her, themajority of the hardest-hit restaurants are located in tourist destinations.The association is consulting commercial banks on financial assistance,including special interest rates on loans.

The Tourism Authorityof Thailand said that the number of foreign arrivals to Thailand in Februarydecreased by 44.3 percent year-on-year, with the number of Chinese touristsdown 85.3 percent. Chinese tourists spent 18 billion USD in Thailand in 2019,accounting for one third of total spending by foreign visitors./.
VNA
#COVID-19#heavy toll#Thailand#restaurant business#Restaurant Business Association#Ladda Sampawthong#Vietnam#Vietnamplus#Vietnam News Agency
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