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Baht/$ 34.57/62 (Bid/Ask)
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13,100
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CHADAMAS CHINMANEEVONG
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok is pessimistic about meeting its growth target of 5-7% this year if the current political problems are not resolved quickly.
The five-star hotel experienced revenue gains in the first five months of this year. However, management is concerned that the impact from political unrest will eventually hurt its performance, which is now projected to be just on par with last year.
General manager Rainer Stampfer said it was very hard to forecast the wider impact while tensions persisted. The hotel must focus on daily events.
Even if the conflict is resolved quickly, the damage has already been done on operations in August and September.
''A lot of room cancellations are happening now. The hotel is going to see a big fall in business in September,'' he said. ''Personally, I feel sad about this situation but I believe everybody will see the same goal at the end. I don't think anyone benefits from this because everyone has already lost right now.''
Mr Stampfer, who is also the regional vice-president of Four Seasons, still believes tourist confidence will be restored once there is a solution and travel warnings are withdrawn.
''Again, we will feel the impact several months down the road because people who are making their travel decisions, be it business or leisure, won't book in Thailand at the moment. Tourists are searching for other countries where the sentiment is stronger,'' he said.
Mr Stampfer added that the Mice (meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition) market, which generally generates a lot of foreign currency and tourist volume for the country, would take longer to recover.
''Although the circumstances may get worse, hotel owners still need to continue expansion plans that can support a recovery. Thailand remains a leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia,'' he said.
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