BANGKOK, Dec 25: Thailand’s government plans a 15.6 billion baht ($450m) package for reviving its important tourist sector, badly hit by a crippling week-long airport blockade, the Tourism Minister said on Thursday.

“If businesses fail, it will cause damage to the country,” Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silpa-Archa told reporters after meeting with private tourism operators.

The four-year rescue plan will help a tourist industry suffering from the effects of the closure of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport closure during November as it was blockaded by anti-government protesters. The blockade paralysed the industry and stranded 300,000 travellers. The government fears the period may have tarnished its image as a tourist destination for years. Tourism directly employs 1.8 million people in Thailand and brings in the equivalent of six per cent of gross domestic product, making it a major economic driver.—Reuters