Hospitality industry has long been the main economic engine of Thailand. When the situation of the epidemic of Covid-19, tourism and services, counted as the first sectors, have been severely affected as people all over the world slow down and stop traveling.

The professionals and experts speculate that the hospitality industry will recuperate, the rapid period is last quarter of 2020, around October 2020, but if the epidemic continues to intensify, the tourism economy will likely recover in October 2021. The section that will recover first are business travelers in order to overcome their difficult times during the Covid-19.

Regardless of how fast or slow the tourism sector will recover, an overview of the industry after the outbreak of Covid-19 Inevitably changes, for both tourists and entrepreneurs. Aside from technology has played a greater role in people’s life and with more cashless society, the tourism and service industry has to adapt in various issues such as;

• Hygiene standards will be the first most important topic that travelers pay attention to. Procedures for cleaning surfaces, washing methods, and the cleanliness of the service providers must be communicated clearly to build confidence and reliance for travelers
• Communication systems and emergency plans are essential. From the Covid-19 situation, there were many tourists could not access to news or government assistance. The business itself does not have a response plan as it should. The news presented tourists left in various countries after the outbreak of Covid-19. Travelers’ assistance planning is important, at least, they must be able to contact their own embassy, government agencies, hospitals or police stations.
• Small group tourism plays a key role after the covid-19 epidemic crisis. This is for the safety and confidence of travelers. Limiting the number of people entering the tourist destination will play a greater role in deciding where to travel. Hospitality marketing will be changed, marketers must penetrate to each target group by focusing on specific interests and lifestyles.

Opportunities for the tourism and service industry in Thailand to recover, it probably does not mean an outbound travel in the near future because of the world’s bad situation towards the outbreak of Covid-19. Thailand must rely mainly on a domestic tourism. Although during quarantine and lockdown, people yearn for traveling. It is definitely that after this situation ends, airline tickets and accommodation prices will be greatly reduced but the number of sales will be half from the normal, and expected to return after 2 years.

There is still a good chance of bad luck. When Thailand is one of the countries that the world is appreciated for having an efficient public health system and able to handle to the epidemic of covid-19 disease. Adopting this opportunity to improve tourism in Thailand to increase competitiveness in the health tourism to be more efficiently. Therefore, it can be a selling point in the future.

Thailand has been discoursing about health tourism for many years but not seriously promoted, despite being 1 of the 11 policies of the Prime Minister to increase country’s competitiveness and make Thailand to be the Medical Hub of this region. Based on statistics from the Medical Tourism Survey and CBI Trade Stat for Tourism, people from many countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, UAE and other developed countries around the world travel for Health Tourism at least 50,000 people per country per year. In which Thailand is 1 of 4 destinations in Asia and is ranked number 20 in the best health and medical tourism in the world.

In the future, if Thailand can push to become a Medical Health Tourism Hub, it is believed that lodgings will be able to adapt to accommodate the medical travelers, elderly, health promoted tourists, health healed tourists, and/or quarantined people during an outbreak like Covid-19. Ministry of Tourism and Sports together with the Tourism Authority of Thailand must promote and push the health tourism to be a new normal in the future. Of course, now Thailand may not be able to promote much tourism activities because the disease situation must be monitored daily but it is considered a good time to plan, review and analyze tourism in Thailand seriously.

• https://www.springnews.co.th/economics/655928https://www.mcot.net/viewtna/5ea6b099e3f8e40aef43208ahttps://siamrath.co.th/n/145622
• https://www.prachachat.net/tourism/news-454147
• https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/news/detail/875629
• https://sites.google.com/site/456556123456asdf/kar-thxng-theiyw-cheing-sukhphaph
• http://www.atta.or.th/%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%97%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%A0/