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Thai Tourism Bounces Back
10th Jul 2014
After the country lifted the nationwide curfew last week, Thailand's tourism is now back to business as usual. The curfew was imposed on May 22 to ensure safety to all residents and visitors alike following the declaration of martial law by the Thai military two days earlier.
All businesses related to tourism such as hotels, bars, restaurants and resorts, especially within Bangkok, are now operating back to normal. Curfew was first lifted in the country's major tourist areas such as Phuket, Koh Samui, and Pattaya one week after its imposition.
The official announcement was made by the Tourism of Thailand (TAT) after the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) lifted the curfew in June 13. NCPO, currently in-charge of the country's administration, is committed to help tourism to regain its vitality as part of Thailand's overall effort to advance national reconciliation and institute reforms.
According to TAT governor, Thawatchai Arunyik, the country's tourism industry has never been disrupted by the political unrest and that they've been telling visitors not to worry. He added that tourism business in the country remained insulated by the political chaos in the streets of Bangkok and other major cities.
Due to the high concentration of mass protest rallies in Bangkok, visitors skipped the capital's two airports for their direct flight to Thailand. As a result, the country's major tourist destinations saw a surge in foreign arrivals during the first 5 months this year, compared to the same period last year.
Koh Samui, especially, experienced the biggest increase in foreign tourist arrivals with a record-setting 257% growth.
As a whole, Thailand attracted more than 10 million foreign visitors during the 5-month period, from January to May this year, with Europe posted the strongest growth at 7.55%. Russia, UK, and France being the top 3 largest European markets posting growth of 10.34%, 7.02% and 8.76% respectively.
Foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand is projected to breach the 25 million mark this year and is expected to earn for the country an estimated revenue of USD38.4 billion.
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