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The loss of Chinese tourists helped abruptly end the country's "high season" of peak tourism, when most resorts and travel-centric businesses make the bulk of their earnings.
"We have to be resilient and we have to not panic," said Thareeya Deasakorn Khamkar, the marketing director at Keemala, a luxury resort in Phuket.
Thailand's tourism industry is taking a hit amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
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The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced on Monday that tourist arrivals plummeted by 44.3% in February, the Bangkok Post reports. TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that the country is bracing for millions fewer foreign tourists in 2020 compared to 2019, anticipating a drop to 30 million from last year's 39.8 million.
"I think people are sort of taking a step back to see how they're going to get through this," Thareeya Deasakorn Khamkar, the marketing director at Keemala, a luxury resort in Phuket.
"It doesn't look promising because this is still our high season," Khamkar said, referring to Thailand's period of peak tourism and ideal weather from November to March. "And, it ended early essentially. We're going to go into our low season ... What's going to happen after that?"
The outbreak in China during Chinese New Year essentially forced an early end to Thailand's high season of peak tourism.
"When China closed the country, everything was canceled," Khamkar said.
"There were significant cancellations," Khamkar continued. "Originally we started with postponing. But, people weren't sure when they're gonna feel safe to travel again."
Chinese tourists make up the largest group of visitors to Thailand. While Khamkar says that Keemala attempts to attract a diverse set of visitors, winning over Chinese customers are key to success, especially around the Chinese New Year.
According to the TAT, visitors from China dropped 85.3% in February.
Some hotels are hoping their attempts to attract new customers lessen the blow of the outbreak.
Krystal Prakaikaew Na-Ranong, the co-owner of luxury resort The Slate, said that she anticipated problems for hotels and other business that cater exclusively to Chinese tourists.
"Some businesses will have to close," Na-Ranong told Business Insider.
However, Na-Ranong said, in general, she felt it was too early to panic over the long-term impact of coronavirus. The Slate, she said, is working to attract new customers to make up for those who might not visit due to the outbreak.
"We are not suffering ... at this point," Na-Ranong said.
"But I think our marketing strategy that we had planned for this year and during the past is always try to put our eggs in more than one basket," she continued.
The outbreak is expected to impact all sectors of Thailand's economy.
"At the moment economically, it's severely dented every single industry," Khamkar said.
In mid-February, Thailand lowered its growth outlook for the year to 1.5% to 2.5%, down from its previous prediction of 2.7% to 3.7%, Bloomberg reported.
Uncertainty about what is actually happening is adding to some people's worries.
"At this point, the media also makes things worse, [spreading] some wrong information," Na-Ranong said. "They create fear, they put fear in people's heads."
Some have also been confused by what appear to be mixed messages from the Thai government, with Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul saying in a Facebook post that all visitors from "high-risk" areas would have to self-quarantine. CNBC reports the post was soon deleted, with the TAT saying that the government had not released any new official guidance on quarantining.
Tourist hotspots in Phuket, Thailand still drew some visitors over the weekend.
Tourist destinations such as the Big Buddha and Wat Chalong were far from empty when Business Insider visited on Sunday. While Phuket was not as crowded as it may typically be during peak high season, visitors were still traveling around the island.
"We have to be resilient and we have to not panic," Khamkar said.
"Thailand has been through so many crises," Khamkar said.
"I came back to Thailand after the tsunami," she continued. "Everything was wiped out, starting from zero. We went through it and we survived it. Hopefully, this will ... sort of recalibrate and find a new balance for everyone around the world, not just for Thailand."
