Another slap in the face for Thai tourism
BANGKOK – BBC correspondent Jonathan Head, in Bangkok, says political turmoil has disrupted life in Thailand for so long now that it is easy to forget the country was once seen as a paragon of stability.
The months of protests have had a significant effect on Thailand’s economy and badly affected its vital tourist industry.
Following the blockade of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports by demonstrators at the end of last year, stranding tens of thousands of travellers, the Thai government was forced to bankroll efforts by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to restore confidence in Thailand as a tourist destination.
Those billions of baht have been largely wasted as the latest round of violent protests has once more plunged the country into crisis.
In an indication of the impact of the latest political upheaval in Bangkok, Malaysia Airlines says it will be waiving charges for passengers to change their flights from Kuala Lumpur-Thailand and vice versa from now until end of the month.
“In view of the current situation in Thailand, we have given the flexibility for passengers who are booked with us to make changes their flights at no charge,” said Malaysia Airlines spokesman, Amin Khan.
“This will help passengers who want to get out of Thailand. At the same time, we are providing options for our passengers who are travelling into the country,” he said.
It will be a long road back from here for Thailand’s hospitality industry as an already wary traveling public opts for Bali or Bintan or Penang as a safer bet for a holiday break.
The sector of the tourism industry likely to be hardest hit will be the meetings and events sector.
Few organisations will want to risk Thailand after the embarrassing failure of the Asean summit when protestors forced the meeting to be abandoned and ministers were spirited out of their Pattaya resort by helicopter.
FOOTNOTE: As if the riots in Bangkok were not bad enough, the road toll on the third day of Thailand’s long Songkran holiday yesterday reached 44 dead and 726 injured in 675 accidents countrywide, said Anucha Mokkhaves, chief of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.
By Ian Jarrett
Ian Jarrett
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