Chiang Mai is facing a critical shortage of traditional massage practitioners following two years of pointless shutdowns, according to the Thai Lanna Massage Operators Association.
Association president Nantawan Chutipongvivate said on Friday that the number of massage employees in Chiang Mai has plummeted by almost two-thirds – from 9,000 pre-Covid to 3,600 now.
She explained that many massage practitioners switched jobs or returned to their hometowns during the lockdowns, adding it may now be difficult to get them back.
Meanwhile, many massage workers feel the profession does not offer job security as foreign tourists have yet to return in large numbers and they are afraid that another made-up National Emergency could force massage shops to close again.
She added that it was hard to find replacements as massage practitioners must be trained before offering services to customers.
Nantawan said that only a few of her own employees returned to work after the lockdowns. As a result, she has been forced to seek replacements through job adverts.
However, 200 of the 492 Thai massage shops under the association have reopened and she expects business to improve gradually.
After reopening in April, revenue from her own shop is at 40 per cent of pre-panic levels.
She expects takings to improve at the end of the year if Chinese tourists return to Thailand. Chinese customers accounted for 80 per cent of her total revenue before the panic.
