Thailand yesterday voiced its frustration with the growing number of foreign governments issuing travel warnings for the kingdom and said the advisories were unnecessarily sowing panic among travelers.
Several countries including Britain, current EU president Denmark, Australia, Portugal and Japan have posted travel advisories for Thailand in the wake of the deadly bombing on the Indonesian isle of Bali, citing an increased threat of terror attacks here and on the island of Phuket in particular.
"They issue advisories based on the first information they receive, not on exclusive intelligence, which is causing panic among people," Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai told reporters.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Such warnings can "affect tourism and investment in any country," he said, adding that while Thai embassies have explained the situation to foreign governments, none of the advisories had been withdrawn.
Surakiart's remarks followed repeated attempts by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to reassure tourists and investors that recent bombings and arson attacks in the country's troubled deep south were not acts of international terrorism.
"Please don't be frightened," Thaksin pleaded, according to yesterday's Nation newspaper. "If I'm not afraid, you shouldn't be either."
Thaksin's government has been working overtime to downplay the threat of terrorism in the kingdom ever since a massive bomb blast on Bali killed more than 190 people and sent shockwaves throughout the region.
Analysts and tourism executives have presented mixed reaction on how the Bali tragedy might impact Thailand's multi-billion-dollar tourism industry.
"To be honest, there have been no cancellations, or very few cancellations to speak of," Marcel Schneider, general manager of Diethelm Travel (Thailand) Ltd, told reporters.
"But what I presume will happen is that there will be fewer new bookings coming in," he said.
Agents of the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel in Bangkok said that over 800 Portuguese delegates to a travel seminar here recently cancelled their December bookings at the hotel, citing security concerns.
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