29 July 2010

Hotel group calls for fair hearing on travel advisories

Bill Heinecke, chairman and CEO of Thailand-based Minor Group, one of AsiaÃ¢â¬â¢s biggest leisure companies, has appealed to foreign embassies in Bangkok to help lift travel advisories which are discouraging visitors to Thailand.

In an open letter to the ambassadors of all nations represented in Thailand, Heinecke said he would like to see the creation of an advisory board Ã¢â¬Åâœwhich could be represented by private and public sectors to aid each embassy in assessing how to make a fair and correct decision in respect of visitor securityÃ¢â¬~.

Heinecke said it was heartbreaking to see a countrywide travel warning that causes unnecessary panic for international guests and hardship for the millions of people working in the travel sector and related industries.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhat I do ask, is that travel warnings are issued when and specifically where you feel that your citizens may be in danger, and that they are delivered on a fair and level basis by using the same criteria to judge all countries.Ã¢â¬~

Sixteen provinces in Thailand, including Bangkok, remain under a state of emergency with the Thai government beefing up security following a bomb blast in central Bangkok on Sunday, which killed one person and injured 10.

Minor has more than 1,000 restaurants and 27 hotel and resorts in its portfolio. Brands include Anantara, Four Seasons, Marriott and Elewana.