Retail and hotel operators in the Ratchaprasong area have introduced a major joint promotion to lure back shoppers after many of them saw their sales drop 60% in the past two days.
"We have to communicate to tourists and local shoppers that the situation here remains safe with strengthened security of 1,500 surveillance cameras and 1,700 security staff," said Chai Srivikorn, president of the Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association (RSTA).
"If violence occurs, we can figure out the problem in 15 minutes."
Moreover, the retailers' group provided information on how to get to the malls, which are not difficult to access despite the mass rallies.
RSTA members now offer big discounts up to 80% for fashion and lifestyle products, 30% for dining and 40% for hotel rooms in leading premises.
Spending in this area surprisingly increased from normal during the first two days of the Bangkok shutdown from Jan 13-14, especially for food.
After that, the mood turned sour, with sales falling by 60% on Wednesday and Thursday.
Some 90% of office staff in the surrounding areas are going to work as normal.
Average hotel occupancy in this area has declined to 30% from a normal 85%, while many conferences and seminars have been put on hold.
The Ratchaprasong area is visited mostly by three major groups - tourists, office staff and local shoppers.
Spending in the area is split equally between tourists and local shoppers.
The number of tourists sharply declined during the first two days of the mass rallies.
At the same time, spending on dining and entertainment by office workers in surrounding areas plummeted, as they were concerned about safety after dark.
But come yesterday, there were good signs that tourists were starting to come back, particularly Chinese, who are sensitive to political problems.
In terms of Chinese spending, the Novotel Platinum Hotel and Platinum shopping mall are the most affected, as those are their main customers.
In a positive sign that spending in the area is recovering, Asian tourists have returned, particularly those from Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong, along with Australians, said Mr Chai.
Sales at Big C's Ratchadamri branch, which dropped by 40% this past Monday and Tuesday, will improve with signs that tourists, its major customers, are returning.
Big C also extended its service hours to 8pm from 6pm when the rally began.
Shopping malls in surrounding areas including CentralWorld, Siam Discovery, Siam Center and Siam Paragon have extended service hours to 8pm as well.
These malls had shortened their hours when the shutdown began.
"It's too early to estimate the damage. We'll have to wait until this weekend to see whether local shoppers and tourists really return," Mr Chai said.
In any case, the effect from the shutdown is less than from the red-shirt protests in 2010, he added.