Hotels, operators begin to see booking cancellations in Thailand

BANGKOK, Thailand--In a copyrighted article, the Bangkok Post reports Thailand's tourism industry is starting to feel the pinch of political unrest, as tourists from South Korea, Australia, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom are expected to turn to Bali, Vietnam and the Maldives.

The daily newsppaper reports at least five nations have issued warnings about travelling to Thailand following protests in Bangkok and the forced closures of airports in Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai last week, according to the Tourism Crisis Management Centre, which comprises representatives from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and private organisations.

(Khao San Road shops and tourists in Bangkok, top right photo)

The Bangkok Post says Apichart Sankary, the president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, yesterday repeated his call for the government and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to settle their differences as soon as possible before the one-trillion-baht tourism industry is damaged further.

'I want to send this message to the PAD protesters, especially those in southern provinces, that closing airports will affect not only businesses in the provinces but also others, as the industry involves many sectors including the agricultural and food sectors,'' he said.

According to Mr Apichart, the protests have already scared away Asians who are more sensitive than Westerners about security issues. They could hurt the European market as well if the protests continue to the middle of this month.

He said the Thai tourism industry was likely to lose revenue during the five-month high season (October to February) if the protests were prolonged.

The Bangkok Post says normally, the country receives 1.5 million to two million visitors a month during the high season, generating income of more than 100 billion baht.

Prakit Shinamornpong, the president of the Thai Hotels Association, said he was particularly concerned about the impact on senior citizens from the United Kingdom.

Maiyarat Pheerayakoses, president of the Association of Domestic Travel (ADT), added the closures of airports and railways were unjustified and would damage the country's image.

Larry Cunningham, (middle left photo) the developer of Chava Resort (top left photo) on Surin Beach, said the airport closures had already hurt the tourism industry on Phuket. His recently opened hotel, which was gearing up for its first high season, has already received cancellations for some of its 45 high-end apartments.

The Bangkok Post quotes Cunningham as saysing Chava Resort had invested in promotion and staff training during the low season and now the employees cannot expect much from service charges.

''They are very sad. In the end, the biggest loser is Thailand as other surrounding countries like Malaysia and Cambodia have strengthened their tourism industries,'' Mr Cunningham said.
The operators of other five-star hotels also told him about their booking cancellations.

''If there is another airport closure, you can forget about tourism for the next 12 months. When we were hit by natural disasters, tourists said they would come back again to help Phuket people. But with this man-made disaster, they will not return,'' he said.