Thailand removed the last of its pandemic-related travel restrictions Friday, but the nation’s once-vibrant tourism industry still faces plenty of challenges on its long road to recovery, not least the continued absence of big-spending Chinese visitors.

Anyone can now travel to the Southeast Asian country without having to register for a so-called Thailand Pass before arriving, the last entry requirement after Thailand had ditched all other Covid entry rules.

Friday’s move itself is unlikely to spark a sudden rush of visitors, especially as it is now the low season. And while the earlier dismantling of other, more onerous rules such as quarantine has helped lure some visitors back to the country, Thai businesses still desperately need a bigger influx of customers after Covid torched international travel and left tourist hotspots deserted.

“Tourists will return, but our survival will be challenging,” Tourism Council of Thailand President Chamnan Srisawat said. “Less than half of tourism businesses have resumed, and those that are open again don’t have enough customers to operate profitably.”

Thailand expects 9.3 million foreign arrivals this year, compared with only about 428,000 in 2021. That’s still a far cry from the 40 million visitors in 2019. Arrivals are expected to reach 24 million, or 60% of pre-pandemic levels, as far off as 2024, the World Bank said in a report Wednesday.

International tourists spent 1.9 trillion baht ($54 billion) in Thailand in 2019, and the industry has typically accounted for about 12% of the country’s gross domestic product, according to official figures. Data Thursday showed foreign travel spending in the first quarter this year was 65.9 billion baht, an 86% increase from the lows of the same period of 2021.