Flight bookings are increasing despite MERS case in Thailand, Kobkarn confirms

[webfact]

Flight bookings are increasing despite MERS case in Thailand, Kobkarn confirms



BANGKOK, 23 June 2015 (NNT) - Tourism and Sport Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul confirmed MERS outbreak has no stern impacts on tourism. No flight booking was cancelled and the advance booking is even increasing.

Mrs.Kobkarn revealed after a meeting with the ministry’s executives on Monday that flight bookings from May to July grew between 21% - 28%.

This year’s income from the tourism industry has also exceeded the ministry’s target. From Jan 1 - Jun 20, 2015 around fourteen million tourists have brought THB660,000m. of income to the country with THB20,000m., higher than the existing goal.

From 1-20 June alone, the number of tourists has risen to 1,500,000, an increase of 54.3%. Meanwhile, tourism earnings during the period grew 57.4% to THB67,062m.

Mrs.Kobkarn has assigned the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to closely monitor a change to the tourism sector due to MERS outbreak. Meanwhile other movements happening in sensitive market where number of tourists is falling should be followed continuously.

“I am confident that the number of tourists to Thailand in 2015 will reach our goal of 28.8 million people and bring in THB2.2 billion in foreign exchange,” emphasized Mrs.Kobkarn.


-- NNT 2015-06-23

[jaidam]

Don't be shy Kobkarn, come right out and say it. "MERS, the shot in the arm our tourism industry needed". Bookings increasing, indeed.

[Robby nz]

Don't be shy Kobkarn, come right out and say it. "MERS, the shot in the arm our tourism industry needed". Bookings increasing, indeed.

Fortunately for us you have access to more up to date numbers and can give us a more informed and accurate report.

Why should one isolated case of MERS concerning a man from a middle East country who went straight to hospital and was diagnosed promptly have any effect on tourism ?

[biplanebluey]

Don't be shy Kobkarn, come right out and say it. "MERS, the shot in the arm our tourism industry needed". Bookings increasing, indeed.

Fortunately for us you have access to more up to date numbers and can give us a more informed and accurate report.

Why should one isolated case of MERS concerning a man from a middle East country who went straight to hospital and was diagnosed promptly have any effect on tourism ?

Where can I get more reliable info on tourists please

[Ricardo]

"No flight booking was cancelled and the advance booking is even increasing."

I wonder how the Tourism Ministry manages to track advance-bookings by tourists ?

Flight-arrivals at international-airports, travelers-by-land at border-crossings, one just counts/analyses the TM-cards ... but advance-bookings, how can anyone know that ?

[billphillips]

Hmmmm. That's strange. Only yesterday I was reading somewhere here that flights to Korea were being canceled in large numbers due to the mers outbreak there.

The first case in Thailand was confirmed only a few days ago but already we have official confirmation that tourists numbers will not be adversely affected by mers in Thailand, in fact tourism is expected to increase.

Amazing Thailand.

Edited June 23, 2015 by billphillips

[bangkokheat]

Don't be shy Kobkarn, come right out and say it. "MERS, the shot in the arm our tourism industry needed". Bookings increasing, indeed.

Fortunately for us you have access to more up to date numbers and can give us a more informed and accurate report.

Why should one isolated case of MERS concerning a man from a middle East country who went straight to hospital and was diagnosed promptly have any effect on tourism ?

Where can I get more reliable info on tourists please

didnt you read the post, now why would they lie?

[whiteman]

and pink pigs are flying and the sky is falling so much BS

[Chicken George]

Really with what Airlines?

[madmitch]

Don't be shy Kobkarn, come right out and say it. "MERS, the shot in the arm our tourism industry needed". Bookings increasing, indeed.

Fortunately for us you have access to more up to date numbers and can give us a more informed and accurate report.

Why should one isolated case of MERS concerning a man from a middle East country who went straight to hospital and was diagnosed promptly have any effect on tourism ?

Where can I get more reliable info on tourists please

Here

http://www.tourism.go.th/

[fareastguy]

Here it is just as expected the latest tourist figures are not just stable but increasing !!!

Every other country announces some kind of negative impact but Thailand just goes from strength to strength !!

Maybe they should share their wisdom with the rest of the world.

[nottocus]

Am expecting a record number of people to come to Thailand in the next few months.

[Baerboxer]

"No flight booking was cancelled and the advance booking is even increasing."

I wonder how the Tourism Ministry manages to track advance-bookings by tourists ?

Flight-arrivals at international-airports, travelers-by-land at border-crossings, one just counts/analyses the TM-cards ... but advance-bookings, how can anyone know that ?

Maybe her civil servants get advance flight booking details from the airlines, analyse them, statistically adjust them and present them to her

Don't forget as minister of sport she delivered Thailand's recent impressive medal tally; and increasing tourist arrivals since taking office.

All those minor blips simply glossed over with panache.

[Baerboxer]

Here it is just as expected the latest tourist figures are not just stable but increasing !!!

Every other country announces some kind of negative impact but Thailand just goes from strength to strength !!

Maybe they should share their wisdom with the rest of the world.

The RoW just ain't ready for Thainess.

Less means more; more means less; sophistry is unknown as logic, cause and effect have no bearing.

Thailand number 1 for tourists, rice exports and maybe even casinos soon.

[dcpo]

The minister is probably talking out of her proverbial, but anyone who would have come to Thailand but now won't because of the threat of MERS is an idiot.

[LuckyNo4]

Does anyone else find it strange that every single year there seems to be an outbreak of something, i mean off the top of my head, MERS, SARS, Ebola, Bird Flu.

[WitawatWatawit]

Can NNT go over its figures again, please? My head is hurting trying to figure out how much THB660,000m is.

[WitawatWatawit]

Here it is just as expected the latest tourist figures are not just stable but increasing !!!

Every other country announces some kind of negative impact but Thailand just goes from strength to strength !!

Maybe they should share their wisdom with the rest of the world.

You'll notice the same kind of marketing tactic every time there's a problem affecting Thailand. There's almost an instantaneous response that trumpets how great and wonderful everything here is. Marketing people practise deception and delusion, and in Thailand they are no exception, just that they don't understand how to do it subtely.

[hugh2121]

Am expecting a record number of people to come to Thailand in the next few months.

Plenty of space for them in Pattaya

[phoenixdoglover]

The article has numbers that just don't make sense.

“I am confident that the number of tourists to Thailand in 2015 will reach our goal of 28.8 million people and bring in THB2.2 billion in foreign exchange,” emphasized Mrs.Kobkarn.

That would be a spending rate of 76 Baht per tourist.

Let's assume they mean 2.2 trillion Baht total income projected for the year. That would be 76,000 Baht per person. More reasonable.

And then there is this ditty

This year’s income from the tourism industry has also exceeded the ministry’s target. From Jan 1 - Jun 20, 2015 around fourteen million tourists have brought THB660,000m. of income to the country with THB20,000m., higher than the existing goal.

Period from Jan 1 to June 20 (171 days), income 660 billion baht; rate per day 3.9 billion baht

Projected for June 20 to Dec 31 (194 days remaining), (2,200 - 660) = 1,540 billion additional spending ; rate per day 7.9 billion baht

This would be miraculous indeed.

Edited June 23, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[hugh2121]

The article has numbers that just don't make sense.

“I am confident that the number of tourists to Thailand in 2015 will reach our goal of 28.8 million people and bring in THB2.2 billion in foreign exchange,” emphasized Mrs.Kobkarn.

That would be a spending rate of 76 Baht per tourist.

Let's assume they mean 2.2 trillion Baht total income projected for the year. That would be 76,000 Baht per person. More reasonable.

And then there is this ditty

This year’s income from the tourism industry has also exceeded the ministry’s target. From Jan 1 - Jun 20, 2015 around fourteen million tourists have brought THB660,000m. of income to the country with THB20,000m., higher than the existing goal.

Period from Jan 1 to June 20 (171 days), income 660 billion baht; rate per day 3.9 billion baht

Projected for June 20 to Dec 31 (194 days remaining), (2,200 - 660) = 1,540 billion additional spending ; rate per day 7.9 billion baht

This would be miraculous indeed.

I think they mean 2.2 real billion not 2.2 American billion.

1 million = 1,000,000

1 billion (bi-million) = (1,000,000) X (1,000,000) = 1,000,000,000,000

This is an example of logical mathematics. Like I learned at school many years ago.

Can anybody show me logical maths which produce the American "billion" or "trillion" or anything else "illion".

Thailand is more logical than America with these numbers. One with 9 zero's is a thousand million. One with 12 zero's is a million million. Sensible and hence your confusion over 2.2 billion!

Edited June 23, 2015 by hugh2121

[Jimlove]

Maybe Thailand should "import" some Ebola, then tourism might explode ... Thailand moves forward ...

[phoenixdoglover]

The article has numbers that just don't make sense.

“I am confident that the number of tourists to Thailand in 2015 will reach our goal of 28.8 million people and bring in THB2.2 billion in foreign exchange,” emphasized Mrs.Kobkarn.

That would be a spending rate of 76 Baht per tourist.

Let's assume they mean 2.2 trillion Baht total income projected for the year. That would be 76,000 Baht per person. More reasonable.

And then there is this ditty

This year’s income from the tourism industry has also exceeded the ministry’s target. From Jan 1 - Jun 20, 2015 around fourteen million tourists have brought THB660,000m. of income to the country with THB20,000m., higher than the existing goal.

Period from Jan 1 to June 20 (171 days), income 660 billion baht; rate per day 3.9 billion baht

Projected for June 20 to Dec 31 (194 days remaining), (2,200 - 660) = 1,540 billion additional spending ; rate per day 7.9 billion baht

This would be miraculous indeed.

I think they mean 2.2 real billion not 2.2 American billion.

1 million = 1,000,000

1 billion (bi-million) = (1,000,000) X (1,000,000) = 1,000,000,000,000

This is an example of logical mathematics. Like I learned at school many years ago.

Can anybody show me logical maths which produce the American "billion" or "trillion" or anything else "illion".

Thailand is more logical than America with these numbers. One with 9 zero's is a thousand million. One with 12 zero's is a million million. Sensible and hence your confusion over 2.2 billion!

As children, we used "gazillion".

Perhaps this term needs to be used for tourist numbers.

[elgordo38]

Hmmmm. That's strange. Only yesterday I was reading somewhere here that flights to Korea were being canceled in large numbers due to the mers outbreak there.

The first case in Thailand was confirmed only a few days ago but already we have official confirmation that tourists numbers will not be adversely affected by mers in Thailand, in fact tourism is expected to increase.

Amazing Thailand.

If you do not spout positive information you could be headed for the re-education camp and reassigned. I am sure they get a daily program to read from from the P and H club. All this daily positive information is like a lullaby. Enough spoon feeding for one day.

[Alwyn]

That's fantastic news! Even though (from regular countries) travel insurance is invalid due to article 44, even though Thai have recently cut their flights fairly dramatically and even though everybody i've spoken to in Phuket tells me how quiet it all is, tourist numbers are up!! Yayyy!!

[Chao Lao Beach]

"No flight booking was cancelled and the advance booking is even increasing."

I wonder how the Tourism Ministry manages to track advance-bookings by tourists ?

Flight-arrivals at international-airports, travelers-by-land at border-crossings, one just counts/analyses the TM-cards ... but advance-bookings, how can anyone know that ?

Doesn't the Gov use Palm Readers ?

[wabothai]

The most amazing tourist minister in all of the world, she seems to have a reliable christal ball.

[oldsailor35]

Don't be shy Kobkarn, come right out and say it. "MERS, the shot in the arm our tourism industry needed". Bookings increasing, indeed.

With all these airline bookings, one would think that Thai Airways could be a little cheaper.

[oldsailor35]

Does anyone else find it strange that every single year there seems to be an outbreak of something, i mean off the top of my head, MERS, SARS, Ebola, Bird Flu.

Add to that ANOTHER COUP !

[Oink]

I don't think this MERS is anything new. My wife flew through Dubai last December and arrived home with a cough. I was as sick as a dog for a month after that. could not stop couth & sneeze for a month.