Just how many hits can the Thai tourism industry take? Will the anti-government protests in Bangkok in mid-April — which escalated into two days of rioting during the traditional Thai New Year and caused the cancelation of a summit meeting of Asian nations in Pattaya — keep away the visitors who have been gradually returning since the devastating tsunami of 2004?
The clashes, in which two people were killed and more than 100 injured, were quelled after government troops stepped in. But images of burning buses and armed soldiers in the streets of Bangkok came just four months after another group of demonstrators blockaded airports, stranding passengers for about a week. And the prospect of continued turmoil has already prompted some travelers to rethink their travel plans.
For a three-week vacation abroad, John D. Long of Washington had been trying to decide between a trip to Europe or a tour of Southeast Asia, using Bangkok as a hub to reach Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar.
“I was ready to make a reservation for either place, but as I began to read about the unrest in Thailand and remembering what happened the last time the political party currently in power was in the opposition,” he said referring to the airport shutdowns, “I began to think it was more prudent for me to opt for the European trip.”
It wasn’t so much the nature of the recent strife that worried Long, but how his trip might be affected if the demonstrations were to have an impact on his travel plans.
“If I get to Bangkok and can’t get out,” he said, he would never make it to places like Yangon in Myanmar, “a major draw for that trip.”
Thai tourism had already taken a hit from the global economic crisis. The Tourism Authority of Thailand was anticipating about 14 million international visitors this year, down from about 14.6 million last year. But the Bangkok riots are expected to direct an additional blow at the travel market — an estimated drop in international visitors of 20 percent to 30 percent for the first half this year, according to the tourism authority.
The Thai government has tried to soothe tourist jitters. On April 21, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said: “The protests in Thailand were confined to only a few, one or two spots of Bangkok,” while in the rest of the city, “99 percent was life goes on as usual.”
While the US embassy advised citizens to avoid areas with demonstrations and “exercise caution anywhere in Bangkok” during the protests, the State Department did not issue a separate warning or travel alert for the region. It does, however, advise US citizens visiting Bangkok “to monitor events closely, to avoid any large public gatherings and to exercise discretion when moving about” the city.
As a result, some travel companies expect visits to drop.
“There is always a short-term effect when things like this occur,” said Rod Cuthbert, founder of Viator.com, which links travelers with local tour operators for sightseeing, including 94 activities in Thailand.
Though traffic to the site’s Thailand pages remained strong throughout the period of upheaval, he said, “we expect April and May bookings will be well down.”
The uncertainty about the situation in Thailand may damage the country’s increasing reputation as a place where travelers can find affordable luxury — five-star treatment at three-star prices.
Certainly, some recent deals make Thailand seem like the place to go. Through April, the Metropolitan Bangkok, part of the high-end COMO Hotels and Resorts, offered rooms that are normally US$260 a night for US$99.
The Anantara Golden Triangle Resort and Spa in Northern Thailand, which has an on-site Elephant Camp, is offering three nights for the price of two, with rates from 9,200 baht a night, or about US$255 at 36 baht to the dollar. Travelers can get an even lower rate (7,600 baht) by booking 50 days in advance.
Its sister property Si Kao Resort and Spa, on a southern beach an hour from Krabi’s airport, is offering discounts of up to 40 percent off the usual rates of 6,000 baht and up a night, based on how far ahead travelers make their reservations.
On top of such deals, US travelers have about 11 percent more buying power in Thailand compared with a year ago because the baht has dropped against the dollar.
Despite televised images of burning buses and armed soldiers squaring off with angry protesters in the streets of Bangkok, some visitors to the city were oblivious to the state of emergency. Agneta Mallenberg, 38, an interior architect, and her friend, Agnieszka Mrugala, 37, a computer programmer, both from Warsaw, Poland, were there when the riots started.
“I didn’t know what happened in Bangkok while we were there,” said Mallenberg, while taking a break from shopping in the Jungceylon mall in Phuket. “My mum wrote me on Facebook that I’m supposed to avoid big crowds. That was the first I heard about it.”
Other vacationers in Thailand also appeared unfazed. Just days after the riots, the boisterous nightlife scene in Patong, on Phuket, was still raging, its bars and street stalls thronged with people.
Friendly Planet Travel, based in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, sent a group of 26 tourists to Thailand on April 16 for a 12-day tour from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. No one canceled.
“Sept. 11 changed forever our way of viewing the world,” said Peggy Goldman, Friendly Planet’s president. “We have found that our travelers are much more sanguine about facing the world, even during times of instability and unrest.”
Goldman is planning to go to Bangkok herself this month.
“Quite honestly, we don’t have any concerns at this moment,” she said. “While there is political instability at this moment, these are generally peaceful, welcoming people who love visitors and treat them with a great deal of respect.”
Sibel Mulard, 39, an insurance account manager from France who was vacationing in Thailand with her husband, Lionel, and their two young boys, had just arrived on Phuket when the Bangkok riots started. She received many calls from concerned family members in France urging her to come back right away.
But Mulard, who said she was more concerned about a tsunami than getting caught up in any violence, was determined to see out her vacation. She pointed out to her family that Phuket is a long way from Bangkok, adding: “I said, ‘I am going to stay. I am not coming back.’”
The Mulards did alter their plans so they would avoid the capital, however, due to the protests. Instead of sightseeing in Bangkok, Mulard said, “We will go to the islands.”
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