Thailand sees first trickle of tourists in October as coronavirus curbs ease, SE Asia News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Thailand recorded its first 1,201 foreign tourists in October since a ban in April aimed at averting coronavirus outbreaks, as the country gradually opens up to a select number of visitors to help its struggling, tourism-reliant economy. South-east Asia’s second-largest economy contracted 6.4 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier after the second quarter’s 12.1 per cent slump as most virus restrictions were eased, but an absence of tourists is limiting the recovery. The 1,201 foreign visitors in October is a fraction of the 3.07 million arrivals in the same month last year. Tourism…