The simmering political strife has yet to affect tourism adversely, and 26.2 million foreign tourist arrivals are still expected this year, says the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT).
Piyaman: Tourists still confident
"Foreign visitors are maintaining their bookings for the remaining two months of the year so far," said president Piyaman Techapaiboon.
"That shows they're still confident about visiting Thailand."
Members of the TCT and other tourism-related organisations met yesterday with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to discuss the effects of the ongoing anti-government rallies.
The meeting decided the protests being limited only to certain areas was the main reason tourism has not felt any heat.
Ms Piyaman said tourism operators and airlines are closely monitoring the situation and providing updates to their foreign customers.
More importantly, foreign visitors, be they Chinese or European, have become quite familiar with the local political situation over the past five years, she said.
Ms Piyaman said foreign visitor arrivals grew by 11% year-on-year in the first 10 days of this month.
Tourism operators expect arrivals will remain stable at 2 million each in November and December, she said.
Ms Piyaman said the prime minister also assured the meeting that government MPs in the House will not resubmit the amnesty bill after 180 days.
Despite the prime minister's promise, Ms Piyaman said she remains worried the industry will eventually take a hit if the protests are prolonged or turn violent.
The TCT projects foreign visitor arrivals may decline by 10%% year-on-year in next year's first quarter if the protests continue that long.
"Domestic tourism has already been slowing down on unfavourable economic conditions, and now political risk is re-emerging," Ms Piyaman added.
Also, no cancellations of air ticket and hotel bookings for Bangkok and major tourist destinations have been reported even though 16 countries have issued travel advisories that their citizens should avoid visiting areas near anti-government protests in the capital.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Surapol Svetasreni said the political unrest had caused no cancellations, but he suggested tourism operators closely monitor the situation if protests become widespread.
Travel warnings have been issued by Britain, France, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Austria, Israel, Brazil, Singapore, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Hungary and Spain.
Suparat Chirathivat, vice-president for business development of Centara International Management, said tourism operators have faced hard times due to political problems many times.
"If the political conflict does not end peacefully, it will drag down the competitiveness of Thai tourism in the long run," he said.
After the travel advisories, some foreign tourists may soon change their trips to other destinations during the peak season.
Mr Suparat said political problems remain the key risk factor for tourism in 2014. Thailand has also faced negative factors such as flooding.
Average hotel room rates in Thailand are lower than those elsewhere in the region, he said.
Centara has included crisis management in its annual business plan and expanded abroad to reduce risks.
"Good tourism products such as beautiful beaches, services and value-for-money prices are strong selling points for Thailand. That is why Thai tourism can bounce back quickly after any crisis," Mr Suparat said.
The Tourism Council of Thailand is confident tourist arrivals this year will meet the target of 26.2 million, with revenue of 1.18 trillion baht.
If the political unrest prolongs to next year, it will lower the figure of tourist arrivals in the first quarter by 10%.
President Piyaman Techapaiboon said that although no bookings have been cancelled yet, many tourists have questions about the real situation here.