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Tourists decide to cancel Thailand trips after Oct. 12

Fallout from the Oct. 12 bomb explosions on the Indonesian island of Bali has resulted in the cancellation of reservations for 32,000 hotel room nights in Thailand, costing the local industry at least 120 million baht (US$2.8 million), according to industry figures published yesterday.

Thai Hotels Association secretary Prakit Chinamornpong was quoted by The Nation newspaper as saying 30 Thai hotels had reported large-scale cancellations since the attacks.

But he said many others had reported no impact or even an increase in guests as tourists switched destinations from Indonesia to Thailand.

Before the attacks, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) had predicted tourist arrivals would reach 10.5 million this year, a 6 percent increase over last year. Last year, des triggered by the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, the number of tourists coming to Thailand grew by a healthy annual rate of 6 percent.

The TAT said tourist arrivals grew at about the same 6 per cent level during the first seven months of this year.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other Thai leaders have issued repeated assurances that Thailand is not a terrorist target and ordered stepped-up security, particularly on the southern resort island of Phuket.

John Koldowski, managing direct of the Pacific Asia Travel Association's Bangkok-based Strategic Intelligence Center, said he was concerned that a general "hysteria" could set in, spoiling the climate for tourism throughout the region.
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