BANGKOK: Thailand recorded 3,065 international travelers in November, official information confirmed on Monday (Dec 28), in its second month of receiving long-stay guests after a ban was imposed in April to keep coronavirus infections under control.

The 3,065 international travelers in November is only a fraction of the 3.39 million arrivals in a similar time last yr. In October, there have been 1,201 international guests.

Although the nation is progressively opening up to international guests and offering incentives to spice up domestic travel, efforts to revive its tourism-driven economic system are being hampered by an outbreak found 10 days ago that has since infected more than 1,600 individuals in 43 provinces.

Within the January-November time, the number of international guests slumped by 81 percent from yr earlier to about 6.7 million of that 6.69 million were recorded within the first quarter.

That compares with last yr’s almost 40 million travelers who spent 1.91 trillion baht (US$63 billion), or about 11.3 percent of gross domestic product.

The state planning agency predicts only 5 million international guests in 2021.

International guests at present are required to acquire special visas and undergo two weeks of quarantine.