Chatuchak is a big part of the beating heart of Thai food culture, also selling clothing, furniture, antiques and more, but it needs overseas visitors to survive.
The sprawling Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok's northern suburbs would host 200,000 people over a busy weekend, but it's been a month since it reopened and it is now a shadow of its former self.
At an eatery at the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, partitioned tables and social distancing signs separate a few local customers. Foreigners, the market's main visitors, are still not allowed in the country.But with next to no foreign tourists, the more than 11,000 vendors must rely only on local trade.Screening checkpoints have been set up at all six entry gates, visitors have their temperature checked and are given hand sanitiser.
"My target group is foreigners, not Thais. Without tourists, our business is virtually dead. I must say that it is not returning to normal. Sales are much lower compared to what we used to get," she said.Veena Thoopkrajae "I've followed COVID-19 news so that I could learn about my customers outside Thailand. A few customers including one in Australia have ordered lots of goods but they haven’t claimed them."The Thai economy is heavily dependent on tourism, which accounted for around 17 per cent of GDP in 2017, and about 800,000 Australians head to Thailand every year, making it one of our top 10 tourist destinations.
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