[ti:Thai Tiger Park Hopes Foreign Visitors Return] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A tiger park in Phuket, Thailand [00:03.68]is preparing to welcome back foreign visitors this week. [00:08.76]The re-opening is part of a plan [00:12.64]to bring back foreign visitors with proof [00:15.64]of COVID-19 vaccination to the island. [00:20.68]The visitors do not have to follow lockdown restrictions. [00:25.84]After 14 days, as long as they have no coronavirus infection, [00:31.88]they can travel elsewhere in Thailand. [00:36.56]Chadarat Taodaeng is the general manager of Tiger Kingdom in Phuket. [00:43.76]He said the park had put safety measures in place before Thursday's reopening [00:50.04]to help foreign visitors feel comfortable. [00:54.36]"We have vaccinated more than 90 percent of our staff [00:59.24]and also trained them about the 'new normal' tourism," the manager said. [01:06.80]The park has more than 50 tigers and a cheetah. [01:12.76]And visitors can get close to them. [01:15.88]Since the pandemic lockdowns, visitor numbers have dropped [01:21.88]from nearly 1,000 a day to fewer than 20. [01:28.20]Thailand lost about $50 billion in tourism money [01:34.60]when foreign arrivals fell to 6.7 million last year. [01:40.72]In 2019, the country had nearly 40 million visitors. [01:47.84]And Phuket suffered from a large number of job losses and business closings. [01:56.96]"I'm happy that finally there will be people visiting the tigers, [02:02.60]and Phuket city will be bustling again," [02:06.08]said the park's assistant manager, Phonphawit Ton-od. [02:11.96]She added that the reopening would "help with both tigers' [02:18.56]and the staff's mental health." [02:21.96]There has been an increase in the popularity of parks like the Tiger Kingdom, [02:28.76]even though conservationists criticize them. [02:33.52]There are concerns over safety after some attacks by the animals. [02:40.48]Bringing back visitors is important to Thailand's economy. [02:47.44]But government officials also have to deal with [02:51.40]a recent increase in coronavirus infections. [02:57.28]The government hopes Phuket's pilot program [03:00.96]will bring 129,000 visitors to Thailand from July through September. [03:10.00]That number is still far below the average [03:13.92]3.3 million monthly arrivals in 2019. [03:18.92]Abdulrahim A-waekechi cares for the animals in the park. [03:24.64]He said, "I'm happy about the park reopening [03:31.44]because our cheetah Gregor loves being around tourists and staff." [03:39.04]I'm Dan Friedel.更多听力请访问51VOA.COM