Travel trade supports Thailand after Bangkok attack
Tour operators have received some cancellations for trips to Bangkok following the bomb attack at a tourist spot earlier this week, but the tourism board said it had received ‘overwhelming support’ from the trade.
Both Hayes & Jarvis and Travelbag said a few customers had asked to change their itineraries to avoid the capital since the explosion, which claimed 22 lives including one Briton.
However, in general the incident has had little impact on business.
Hayes & Jarvis destination manager Matthew Clift said: "Over the last few days we have received a number of new bookings for 2016 travel and a handful of bookings for 2015, some of which are for this month.
"Call forecasts are down slightly, but bookings continue to come in and there are currently no cancellations to date and our normal Ts and Cs still apply.
"We have received a few calls from customers asking about changing the Bangkok element of their itinerary, however our call centre staff have received less calls than expected for this.
"Our customers currently in resort have all been contacted and have all informed us they are happy to continue with their stay in Bangkok as well as the rest of their holiday in Thailand."
Travelbag tourist board partnerships manager Kevin Coles said: "The news of the second, smaller explosion prompted a few phone calls with cancellation queries but we are confident our sales team will prevent cancellations entirely as we are offering to adjust passenger itineraries to bypass Bangkok if the customer feels more comfortable to do so."
Thai Airways reported no ‘significant’ drop in bookings while specialist operator Inspired by Asia said it hadn’t received a single cancellation request yet it had taken two new bookings for Thailand this week.
A spokeswoman for the Tourism Authority of Thailand said: "The letters of support TAT have received from industry partners and friends has been overwhelming and traveller’s stoic attitude to continue with their holiday plans despite this very sad and tragic event is heart-warming. Bangkok, Thailand and the Thai people remain ready to welcome tourists."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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