Tourism in Thailand (situation)

It is a pity for the ordinary Thai citizen who are not to blame for
this mess but I think that you can get now big bargains in the Kingdom
if you are a brave(?) tourist.

Mort
_

Foreign arrivals drop sharply due to political turmoil

Current political turmoil has already affected tourism both in the
short- and medium-term, with the number of international arrivals
having fallen by 70 per cent, according to the Thai Tourism Services
Association.

Charoen Wang-ananont, association president, conceded the political
standoff had directly impacted the tourism business. Earlier, the
association had projected the tourism boom in the fourth quarter of
this year, which is the high season of every year.
In particular, a large number of Chinese tourists are likely to make
overseas trip in that season since most had stayed at home in their
own country in the third quarter when the 2008 Olympic Games took
place. However, almost all Chinese tourists had cancelled trips to
Thailand upon concern over the ongoing political unrest.

He said the number of foreign tourists had so far fallen by 70 per
cent and that of local tourists by 60 per cent with the hotel room
occupancy dropping by 30-40 per cent (...)

He projected the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand would
drop by 300,000 in the fourth quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, Thai Airways International president Apinant Sumanaseni
said that the ongoing political unrest and the recent rallies by
anti-government protesters to besiege several local airports had
prompted many countries to warn their people not to visit Thailand.

It caused the number of THAI passengers, particularly from Asian
countries such as China, Korea, and Japan, to drop by around 20 per
cent, and that of passengers from Europe by 5-10 per cent in August.
Should the political unrest continued unabated, he said, it would
definitely affect revenue and profits of the national flag carrier
although global oil prices had dropped.

full article at:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_....php?id=130598

That doesn't alter the fact that at the moment the Thai flight Bangkok-
Munich on Jan. 11th is fully booked. I guess (European) tourists are not
alarmed at all.
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - Photos of Asia, Africa and Europe

"Alfred Molon" wrote in message
...
That doesn't alter the fact that at the moment the Thai flight Bangkok-
Munich on Jan. 11th is fully booked. I guess (European) tourists are not
alarmed at all.

Well,it is four months from now. Also, there's an oft-repeated stereotype
that many Germans and other Europeans book their holidays in trouble spots,
either because they're cheaper or because they hope to be the only visitors!

Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore

Tourism arrivals plunge 20-30% following violence in Bangkok

Peak season could see drop of 80% if political problems continue

Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has stated that the political
problems in Bangkok, with a State of Emergency announced by the
government on September 1, have resulted in a sharp drop in tourism
arrivals.

Director of TAT Central Region 3 Niti Kongkrut says the tension in
Bangkok is causing a severe drop in tourism here in Pattaya.

The director of TAT Central Region 3, Chonburi, Niti Kongkrut said
that the immediate effect has been a fall of between 20 and 30 percent
in the number of people visiting Thailand.
As the present time is the low season for tourism, there is as yet
no indication from the main markets as to what will happen when the
high season gets underway later this year.
The Pattaya Business and Tourism Association has voiced its
concern over the political situation, saying that it is necessary for
a fast resolution to the problems because any further delays would
certainly erode confidence even further.
TAT Region 3 Director Niti Kongkrut said that the street fighting
in Bangkok and the subsequent declaration of a State of Emergency has
caused foreign tourists to cancel their plans to visit Thailand.
The TAT has been gathering data from the 2- and 3-star hotels in
Pattaya and Chonburi Province, which indicates that bookings have
fallen between 20 and 30 percent. Most of the guests at these hotels
are Asian tour groups, who come to Pattaya during the low season for
short periods of time.
The 4- and 5-star hotels, which generally cater to European
tourists on longer stays have yet to produce any bookings figures, but
this is their quiet time anyway and they are waiting to see what will
happen by the time of the high season.
Thanet Supornsaharungsi, advisor to the Pattaya Business and
Tourism Association said that before the street rioting there had been
the blockading of Phuket and Krabi airports in the South, which had
had some effect on Pattaya. Then the violence erupted, and that was
the signal for many tourists to change their minds about coming here.
Korea has already advised its citizens not to travel to Thailand,
and many other countries are watching very closely to see immediate
developments.
Although it is difficult to say at present what is going to
happen, Thanet says that it is not unrealistic to expect an 80 percent
drop in tourism arrivals at the peak season period, compared to last
year.
He said that many people who had been planning to visit Thailand
would switch their bookings to nearby countries such as Malaysia and
Indonesia, as has happened in the past during upheavals in Thailand.