Kasikorn Research slashes growth forecast for Thai economy
Kasikorn Research Centre has slashed its growth forecast for the Thai economy in this 2021 from 2.6 per cent to 1.8 per cent following the latest outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.
The research centre said the downgrade came despite positive factors such as the upswing in exports as well as current and future government remedial measures.
KResearch said the third wave of Covid-19, which emerged late last month, would impact previous predictions of 2 million foreign tourist arrivals this year.
It pointed out that Thailand’s vaccination rate was a key factor in combating Covid-19 and opening the country to international tourists.
As of Sunday (April 18), only 0.75 per cent of the country’s population had been vaccinated against Covid-19, according to Oxford University’s “Our World in Data” programme.
KResearch forecast that a prolonged outbreak or a fourth wave of infections this year could result in zero growth for the Thai economy in 2021.
