THAI RATH COLUMNIST LOM PLIENTIS :: Given the poor economic outlook worldwide, it will be difficult for the Thai tourism industry to gain more income in the third quarter of this year.
All leading hotels in popular Thai resorts have recorded lower bookings for the October-December period. Many foreign tourists cancelled their trips after the Samak government declared a state of emergency in early September, after a clash between pro- and anti-government groups left one person dead.
Although the state of emergency was lifted by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat soon after his appointment, the local tourism industry has remained stagnant.
A five-star hotel in Bangkok, which normally has full bookings for October, has seen its occupancy rate decline to 20 per cent. The same is true with major hotels in Chiang Mai and the island resort of Phuket.
Newly-opened hotels have had to apply for debt relief programmes to ride out the poor sentiment.
Finance Ministry officials estimate the tourism industry will lose about 80 billion baht in revenue this year.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has made roadshows in several Asian countries, including Japan, China and South Korea, but it is hard to encourage people to spend when economic sentiment is low.
Instead of looking overseas, the government should try to encourage Thais to travel in the country to boost the local economy. The Thai tourism industry needs urgent help.
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