Thai tiger park hopes to roar back to life as foreign tourists return | Inquirer News

Thai tiger park hopes to roar back to life as foreign tourists return

/ 06:15 PM June 29, 2021

phuket tiger

Tigers gather at their confinement cage in Tiger Kingdom zoo, as Phuket gets ready to open its doors to overseas tourists from July 1 allowing fully vaccinated foreigners to visit the resort island without quarantine, Phuket, Thailand June 28, 2021. Picture taken June 28, 2021. REUTERS

PHUKET, Thailand — A Thai tiger park in Phuket is gearing up to welcome back overseas visitors this week, as businesses on the resort island hope to benefit from a pilot program to allow fully vaccinated tourists in the Southeast Asian country.

Under the plan, foreign tourists vaccinated against COVID-19 can bypass quarantine requirements and freely move around the island. After 14 days, barring any coronavirus issues, they can travel elsewhere in Thailand.

ADVERTISEMENT

The general manager of Tiger Kingdom said the park had taken precautions ahead of Thursday’s reopening to ensure foreign visitors are comfortable.

FEATURED STORIES

“We have vaccinated more than 90% of our staff and also trained them about the ‘new normal’ tourism,” Chadarat Taodaeng said.

The park, which offers close encounters with big cats is home to more than 50 tigers and a cheetah. Since the pandemic, visitor numbers have slumped from nearly 1,000 a day to fewer than 20.

Thailand lost about $50 billion in tourism revenue last year as foreign arrivals plunged 83% to 6.7 million, from a record 39.9 million in 2019. Phuket was hit particularly hard by job losses and business closings.

“I’m happy that finally there will be people visiting the tigers, and Phuket city will be bustling again,” said the park’s assistant manager, Phonphawit Ton-od, adding that the reopening would “help with both tigers’ and the staff’s mental health.”

There has been an increase in popularity of such parks, despite criticism by conservationists and concerns over safety after some instances of maulings.

For Thailand’s government, bringing back visitors has been a priority, even as authorities have tried to contain a stubborn wave of coronavirus infections in recent months.

ADVERTISEMENT

The government hopes Phuket’s pilot program will draw 129,000 visitors to Thailand in the third quarter of 2021, a number still far below the average 3.3 million monthly arrivals in 2019.

“I’m happy about the park reopening because our cheetah Gregor loves being around tourists and staff,” said keeper Abdulrahim A-waekechi.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.

The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.

TAGS: COVID-19, Phuket, Thailand, Tigers, Tourism

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To find out more, please click this link.