Thailand has lost 550,000 tourism jobs in the second quarter, a private industry group said, as the tourism-reliant economy struggles with a third wave of coronavirus infections.

Thailand's most severe outbreak so far started in April and has badly hit domestic spending and travel in the absence of foreign visitors, Reuters reported.

The outbreak has shut 36 per cent of tourism businesses temporarily and 4pc permanently, the Tourism Council of Thailand said in a statement, citing a survey that also showed tourism confidence hit a record low in the current quarter.

Since the pandemic, more than two million tourism workers lost their jobs, including 400,000 in the first quarter of 2021, council president Chamnan Srisawat told a briefing.