Has Southeast Asia tourism been affected?

Southeast Asia has always been a favorite overseas tourist destination for China tourists, especially Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and other places, which have become the first choice for many tourists to travel abroad. Does COVID-19 have a great negative impact on tourism in Southeast Asia this time?

Malaysian media reported that when China people stayed at home, ASEAN began to stumble, tricycles were idle, no one visited the elephant park, and antiques on the market could not be sold. Since the outbreak of New Crown Pneumonia, Southeast Asia has faced billions of dollars in economic losses due to the sharp decrease of tourists from China.

From Luang Prabang in northern Laos to Pattaya in Thailand, and then to Hoi An in Vietnam and Sihanoukville in Cambodia, the income of China tourists has suffered great losses due to domestic and foreign travel restrictions.

Weng Tao, 47, stood behind her fruit milkshake stand in Luang Prabang and said, "We haven't seen tourists from China for 10 days since the roads in Yunnan were closed." .

As China people, the world's largest tourist group, stopped going out because of the global health crisis, tour guides, mall employees and restaurant operators (in ASEAN countries) were all affected.

A tour guide in Luang Prabang said, "My friend lost four or five big tour groups, and they could have paid for the off-season." Behind him, there is an idle tricycle.

In Thailand, people feel more real about the sudden decline in business. According to the data of Thailand Tourism Bureau, the number of tourists (-people) who arrive in China every month since February is usually close to one million (-people), which has dropped by 90%.

NantakenPantnamrob, owner of Siam Elephant Park in Pattaya, fears that he will soon be in debt. His company has lost about $65,000 since the outbreak of COVID-19 virus. "People are afraid to travel. At this rate, I will have to borrow money from the bank. "

Crocodile farms and tiger reserves are also neglected, forcing these bosses to feed these star animals. In this tourist season, the epidemic has also frightened western tourists.

Thailand is expected to reduce the number of tourists by 5 million this year, with a loss of 250 billion baht (1 RMB about 4.5 baht), which will be bad news for countless Thais engaged in tourism. Mamia, who sells trinkets in Pattaya, said that she may return to her hometown in northern Thailand soon.

Some countries in the Mekong River Basin rely heavily on seasonal influx of tourists, who are eager to stop China people who are still willing to travel. As a staunch ally of Beijing, Cambodia has repeatedly downplayed the epidemic risks facing the country. However, the local tourism industry suffered heavy losses.