Violence And Floods Hurt Tourism In S. Thailand

[george]

Violence and floods hurt tourism in S. Thailand

BANGKOK: -- The continuing unrest and recent widespread flooding in southern Thailand have reduced the number of foreign tourists and tourism revenue, officials said Monday.

Popular tourist destinations in southern Thailand make up about 40 per cent of the country's total tourism revenue, said Charoen Wangananont, deputy vice president of the Thai Travel Agents Association.

However, last week's flooding, which devastated parts of the south and inundated the resort island of Koh Samui, stranding tourists and causing considerable financial damage, adversely affected the tourism industry during its most profitable months.

Charoen said tourism officials expect a five per cent fall in toursim revenue from the estimated Bt270 billion target.

He said tourist arrivals this year would likely reach only 11 million, down from a the estimated 13 million, as the numbers of Western tourists fell sharply.

Next year's outlook does not appear encouraging given the continuing unrest in three southern border provinces. The deteriorating economic conditions have also forced people to reduce their spending, Chareon said.

--The Nation 2005-11-28