Phuket: "Life goes on as normal"
PHUKET – Hoteliers in Phuket and other holiday hotspots away from Bangkok say they have been largely unaffected by the violent demonstrations in the capital.
Quoted by the Phuket Gazette, Kevin Wallace, president of Thai hotel chain Centara, said, “Bookings outside Bangkok are holding up very well and we are at 100 percent in Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya and Hua Hin, and are in fact overbooked in Samui, with no cancellations yet in these destinations.â€
In Patong, Wolfgang Meusberger, general manger of the Holiday Inn, said, “So far, cancellations are slightly up versus the usual patterns, about 20 percent for the upcoming week.”
He added, “For next week bookings might go up as customers are leaving Bangkok for the Songkran holiday. But the new booking pace has definitely eased and shows a reduced trend for April, May and June.
“Many customer inquiries are being made about safety in Phuket. There have been cancellations from groups who planned to have a joint Bangkok and Phuket schedule.â€
Pieter van der Hoeven, corporate director of sales and marketing Asia for Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas, said his property has seen “no cancellations at all.â€
“Bookings have tailed off… [but this] “is somewhat expected on the cusp of the low season.â€
In Kamala, general manager Andrew Whitaker of Andara Resort Villas said, “We have had some cancellations from short haul feeder markets, namely Hong Kong and Taiwan.
“It is a great pity that the travel advisories that have been put out do not clearly state that Bangkok is the only affected area, as life here in Phuket goes on as normal.â€
Thai Airways in Australia has advised that all flights are currently operating on normal schedule into and out of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
In a statement, THAI advised travel agents that ticketed passengers travelling to Bangkok, or stopping in BKK en route to or from a point beyond Thailand, cancellation and amendment fees will be waived for passengers holding THAI tickets as at 10 April 2010 and confirmed to travel to Bangkok on/before 23 April 2010, with rebooking to be finalised on/before 30 April 2010, for new travel to commence on/before 30 September 2010.
Passengers transiting BKK to/from points beyond Thailand are not included in this waiver.
Ian Jarrett
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