Few Thailand cancellations after bombings.
A report in The Herald Sun today says that the New Year’s Eve bombings in Bangkok have prompted few people to cancel travel plans, with airlines and travel agencies reporting minimal cancellations, though Thai Airways said yesterday it would waive cancellation and amendment fees for flights booked to the end of January.
Qantas and Jetstar said normal fees would apply until the Federal Government advised Australians not to visit as thousands of holidaymakers returned to the streets of Bangkok yesterday, watched by soldiers and police, with security forces guarding bus and train terminals as well as Bangkok’s international airport.
The military-backed Government blamed supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for the nine explosions that killed at least three people and wounded 38, including nine foreigners. Mr Thaksin was deposed in a September 19 military coup. He has denied any involvement, but no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs has urged travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in the country, the same warning level that applied before the bombings, with the next most serious warning level advising people to reconsider their need to travel, the most serious warning advises against travel.
Thailand is one of our fastest-growing tourist markets with up to 300,000 Australians visiting each year.
Thai Airways and Qantas schedule daily flights between Melbourne and Bangkok, and budget carrier Jetstar recently introduced three services a week and Thai Airways spokeswoman Sue Marr said the airline had received inquiries about the situation in Bangkok, but so far no one had cancelled bookings, adding, “I just wonder if people are still on holiday and haven’t noticed.”
Flight Centre spokesman Hayden Long said agents had reported few cancellations, with most inquiries related to information about the bombings, adding “People are concerned about friends and relatives holidaying in Thailand”. Mr Long said many Australians used Bangkok as a stepping stone on the way to resort areas such as Phuket and at this stage hotels were generally not offering to waive fees for cancellations. Mr Long said that the response from travellers had been similar to that following the terrorist bombings in Britain and Spain, adding, “There have been very few cancellations”.
Report by The Mole from The Sun Herald
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