Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Calls For Live Reports On Flood: Thailand

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PATA calls for live reports on flood

Suchat Sritama

The Nation

The Pacific Asia Travel Association yesterday urged officials to use live reports on the flood situation to feed accurate information to agents around the world, and said it would back recovery plans to help rebuild Thai tourism in the aftermath of the disaster.

New PATA chief executive officer Martin Craigs met with Suraphon Svetasreni, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and promised the association's support in getting accurate information out to the world and helping with post-crisis recovery.

He said it was important for the TAT and other bodies to maintain a flow of accurate and live-feed information from the ground in Bangkok to travel agents worldwide.

"Webcams are a good idea. As are vox-pop, on-the-ground interviews with real tourists on Bangkok streets," Craigs said.

"PATA's head office and the PATA Rapid Recovery Task Force will assist the TAT in the recovery."

PATA is helping to counter misconceptions overseas that most of Bangkok is flooded, the CEO said.

On Monday, the association sent a statement to travel-industry professionals and media around the world encouraging people to visit the Kingdom, as their trips would help with the country's economic recovery.

PATA said the main impact had been in central Thailand and parts of Bangkok. Its head office is in central Bangkok and is operating normally.

The association will work with authorities in Thailand, Cambodia and other nearby countries to speed the recovery, Craigs said.

"As I have observed during 30 years of visiting and now living in Thailand, the Thai people and its travel and tourism industry are resilient. PATA pledges its support to a full tourism recovery in Thailand and nearby destinations," he said.

PATA also reported that central Bangkok remained dry, but said the situation was variable, was highly localised and could change quickly. Only parts of Bangkok and some provinces to the immediate north have been affected. Transport, infrastructure and tourism outlets are operating as usual throughout the rest of the country, including Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, it reported.

However, visitors should read government travel advisories and adjust their itineraries on the ground in Thailand, if necessary, the association recommended.

Meanwhile, the government of Sri Lanka yesterday became the latest to issue a travel warning, advising tourists to consider the flooding carefully when in Thailand, as many areas continue to be at risk of inundation.

-- The Nation 2011-11-02

[bkkjames]

Glad to see no mention of no drinking water in the cbd that is dry, but hey, come stay in the hotel anyway, just don't venture out....

[scotto]

So he wants real accurate accounts of what is going on in thailand from TAT?

Hahaha he is joking isnt he look at their tourism figures!

[rogerdee123]

So he wants real accurate accounts of what is going on in thailand from TAT?

Hahaha he is joking isnt he look at their tourism figures!

well ...... "Live Reports" may be better than dead ones.

[zydeco]

If he wants any current information, he'll need to learn to read and speak Thai, because the government either a) doesn't care if non-Thai speakers understand the situation or, more likely want to hide the true nature of things from the outside world, which primarily operates in English for these sorts of things. Frankly, if I was a travel coordinator, I would cross this place off my list permanently, not because it isn't beautiful or fascinating or historical, but because the government twists and lies about everything, making planning for anything beyond switching planes in the airport too much of a risk for tourists.