Thailand tourism: January arrivals to plunge during chaos

[webfact]

January arrivals to plunge during chaos
BAMRUNG AMNATCHAROENRIT
THE NATION


Number of tourist visited Thailand at Chinese New Year last year, while, Tourism Council of Thailand estimates this year will drop 400,000 compare with last year.

BANGKOK: -- Number of tourist visited Thailand at Chinese New Year last year, while, Tourism Council of Thailand estimates this year will drop 400,000 compare with last year.

THE TOURISM industry is feeling the pinch from the extended political crisis, with expected losses of 400,000 foreign-tourist arrivals and Bt18 billion in revenue this month.

Piyaman Tejapaiboon, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said yesterday that the political turmoil had posed risks to the tourism market, which is still in the high season. During normal times, the country welcomes about 2.5 million foreign tourists in January.

January 31 has Chinese New Year as a highlight, but fewer tourists from Greater China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, are expected to celebrate their holidays in the Kingdom. The flow of tourists from Japan and Russia will also be slow this month because they are sensitive to the security situation.

Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin and Cha-am are among the tourist destinations to be hit hard. In terms of groups, the incentive segment will suffer the most. This group of travellers is a key revenue contributor to the industry as they spend double what regular tourists lay out during their stay.

The trouble is centred in Bangkok. The TCT says it will keep a closer watch on developments. It has not revised its projections for the whole year of 29.92 million in arrivals and Bt1.35 trillion in revenue, as the industry has learned lessons from the past when business quickly rebounded after setbacks.

Sugree Sithivanich, deputy governor for marketing communications at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), expressed concern over the decline in short-haul passengers during Chinese New Year amid the political chaos. Safety is among their key concerns.

Given the cloudy political scenario, Singapore Airlines said last week that it planned to cancel 19 flights to Bangkok between January 14 and February 15. Airports of Thailand also said there was a sign that tourists from Hong Kong would be asked to buy life insurance before flying here.

Chanapan Kaewklachaiyawuth, secretary-general of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association, said the street protests would scare off Chinese travellers until March. For the first quarter, they are expected to drop 60 per cent from 900,000 compared with the same period last year. Bangkok would be hit the hardest with a 70-per-cent fall, while Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket would decline 40 per cent.

Clearly, tourists have been worrying about their trips after learning from the media about the ''Bangkok shutdown" campaign planned by anti-government protesters under the People's Democratic Reform Committee.

Anake Srishevachart, president of the Thai-Japan Tourist Association, said the political strife had caused a big drop in travellers from mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. This situation is expected continue until next quarter. Especially conference and meeting delegates will disappear.

A conference for 200 Japanese scheduled for January 20 in Bangkok has been cancelled. China is another example. For March-May, Chinese operators cannot sell charter-flight packages to 3,000 tourists because they are not confident in the political situation. They may get hurt if the trip is cancelled.

TAT today is meeting with caretaker Tourism Minister Somsak Pureesrisak to discuss how to deliver a unified message to the public, to help tourists understand the true situation, as a way to save the country's image from political damage.


-- The Nation 2014-01-07

[chooka]

Are the TCT and TAT the same monkey? There seems to be so many different tourism councils, authorities and the like in Thailand. Wouldn't it be better to combine them into one identity so the information coming out isn't scattered and contradicting each other. It would also be more cost effective with less budgets.

[clockman]

T.C.T. Just another gravy train!

[FangFerang]

"They may get hurt if the trip is cancelled."

They may gety hurt if the trip is not cancelled.

[Johnnie99]

Hmm so the government actually had a meeting to think about whether or not tourist numbers would drop if there is political turmoil and the possibility of violence.

What will they think of next!

[laurentbkk]

The drop in tourists is not only happen today but for the last 2 months ..

[Bpuumike]

I was at Suvarnabhumi yesterday evening to meet my daughter for a few hours layover on her way to Oz.

Have never seen Departures so packed with people, mainly Westerners. Queues were horrendous. Can only think they are getting out before SHTF.

Fortunately the daughter had a second boarding card issued at LHR so skipped all that.

[Ulic]

This is just one reason the Thai government should make it easier for ex-pats here in Thailand. Year round a steady

source of foreign income. Low season, high season, political turmoil, long term residents smooth out all these bumps

in the road of the Thai economy. The highest quality tourist as far as I am concerned.

[bigbamboo]

_{Chiang Mai seems busier than at any time in my ten years here... with 'farang' tourists at least.}

_{The numbers of Chinese visitors may well have dropped but you never see them out and about much anyway.}

Edited January 7, 2014 by bigbamboo

[Costas2008]

What has the OP picture to do with January arrivals?

Beats me!!

Hold on.......may be it's TAT representatives praying for more arrivals?

Just a thought!

Edited January 7, 2014 by Costas2008

[geriatrickid]

Gosh, someone forgot to send a memo to the tourists in Hua Hin.

[lucjoker]

2 hours of waiting time on airport immigr. yesterday.

full plane loads of Russians ,Indies ,........

The Russians tried to pass through the Thai-passports-only,

few were send back,those who were send back ,tried it again and again

until they finely succeeded !They are not impressed if imm. officers tell them to

go away,they talk back in russian and the officers back down.

Next time i will try this also .(nash drovja ,ya sem yalen , ....)

[Jim walker]

Thais are far too up themselves to be vaguely concerned about tourist figures, they have brought the reduction in tourist numbers on all by themselves so clever, anything to help Asian neighbours like Cambodia boost their visitor numbers to come and visit their beautiful peaceful temples .

[wileycoyote]

Not surprised

[ginjag]

Are the TCT and TAT the same monkey? There seems to be so many different tourism councils, authorities and the like in Thailand. Wouldn't it be better to combine them into one identity so the information coming out isn't scattered and contradicting each other. It would also be more cost effective with less budgets.

This guy TAT "deputy governor for marketing communications" <deleted> ?? Is there is a sports and tourist ??? -TAT-TCT-chooka combine them and some dogs body lose there work ??? no way they preserve what they have hence the weekly figures out-projections --arrivals including big part non tourists-forcasts-BU##s##T--no wonder Thailand is bankrupt. if persons here holding positions were working full 5 day week, and did what was asked, all the others would be on the dole... as many as 2 million unemployed, added to the ones that they do not class as unemployed.-----All this fuss and Tourism is only 8% of Thai Rev.,

When they want it to look like 25% another time it's not important only small fry.

[Kru Baa]

Are the TCT and TAT the same monkey? There seems to be so many different tourism councils, authorities and the like in Thailand. Wouldn't it be better to combine them into one identity so the information coming out isn't scattered and contradicting each other. It would also be more cost effective with less budgets.

They have nothing but councils, ministries and committees in Thailand where all they do is have meetings and form more committees. Anything to keep from having to do any real work. (not that they would even know how to do any work). It's one of the major things holding this country back. Everything is a dodge.

[fab4]

Hmm so the government actually had a meeting to think about whether or not tourist numbers would drop if there is political turmoil and the possibility of violence.

What will they think of next!

Well the civil servants who work in those organisations did and well, what a silly idea. Fancy having a meeting to discuss the outcome of insurrection on an industry that provides 6-8% of the GDP. Imagine people sitting down to discuss what the projected numbers drop is and from which countries and then thinking of ways around the problem. It would be a much better idea to bury their heads in the sand and ignore it. I mean, according to you this meeting/s was just a waste of time and you being a leading expert on the Thai hospitality industry know best.

Or was it just another ignorant knee jerk post having a pop at the government?

Edited January 7, 2014 by fab4

[rubl]

Hmm so the government actually had a meeting to think about whether or not tourist numbers would drop if there is political turmoil and the possibility of violence.

What will they think of next!

Well the civil servants who work in those organisations did and well, what a silly idea. Fancy having a meeting to discuss the outcome of insurrection on an industry that provides 6-8% of the GDP. Imagine people sitting down to discuss what the projected numbers drop is and from which countries and then thinking of ways around the problem. It would be a much better idea to bury their heads in the sand and ignore it. I mean, according to you this meeting/s was just a waste of time and you being a leading expert on the Thai hospitality industry know best.

Or was it just another ignorant knee jerk post having a pop at the government?

kneejerk reaction? You mean you felt the need to insert "insurrection" in your reply?

[Ulic]

I was at Suvarnabhumi yesterday evening to meet my daughter for a few hours layover on her way to Oz.

Have never seen Departures so packed with people, mainly Westerners. Queues were horrendous. Can only think they are getting out before SHTF.

Fortunately the daughter had a second boarding card issued at LHR so skipped all that.

While it is possible all these Westerner's were getting out before the SHTF, a more likely reason is there Christmas/ New year

vacations were over and they were returning home from what is regarded as the busiest two week vacation period of the year.

My 80 year old mother is arriving January 15 for a 2 month stay. It is possible she is flying in to give support to Suthep and

to stand beside him on stage during the protest to show support for him from outside the country. However a more likely reason

is she is coming for a two month vacation to enjoy the sunshine and escape the-40c temperatures in Canada.