A week after bombings in southern Thailand’s prime tourist locations killed four people and wounded dozens of others, the tourism industry hopes for quick rebound.
A string of explosions and arson attacks, beginning late August 11 and into the next morning, rattled popular beach resort areas including Hua Hin, where the Thai royal family has a residence. Other targets included the provinces of Phuket – with almost 30 million visitors in 2015 – Surat Thani, Phangna, Trang, Chumphon and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Lisa Onghang, president of the Hua Hin Cha Am Tourism Association, said a sense of normalcy has returned to the region after the initial shock. “When it happened, Thai people feel afraid so there was cancellations by some Thais – but not from abroad,” she said. “I have many emails from our clients who seem to understand. So now the situation in Hua Hin has come back to normal.”
But economists at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce say the attacks may deter as many as 365,000 visitors, triggering as much as $170 million in revenue losses. And analysts say any further violence would have a deeper impact on an industry considered a cornerstone of the Thai economy.
More than 33 million visitor arrivals were forecast for 2016, with almost a third from China. Thailand hopes to reach 50m. tourists by 2020. The World Travel and Tourism Council says Thailand’s tourism generates $72 billion annually. It creates jobs – directly or indirectly – for about 5 million people, accounting for over 14 percent of total employment.
Earlier setback
Thailand’s tourism industry suffered a dramatic 20 percent slide after the August 2015 bombing of a Hindu shrine in Bangkok left 20 people dead and more than 120 wounded. Many were from Asia.
Visitor numbers dropped sharply in the last quarter of 2015, with recovery only evident with the new year.
Sukanya Jandoo, vice president of the Thai Hotels Association and general manager of the Dusit Thani Bangkok, said the recent bombings have brought fewer cancellations than after last summer’s attack. “It was nowhere near the magnitude of the previous tragic event. In terms of business impact,” Sukanya said. “I would say that city and provinces where the attack took place have been more affected than the others.”
Pornthip Hirunkate, vice president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, said the industry has called on the government to step up security at tourist-related sites such as airports and hotels to prevent a repeat of the attacks. “We have to be alert and prepared if anything happens,” Pornthip said.
The Dusit Thani’s Sukanya remains upbeat about tourism because of “the Thai government attempting to restore foreigners’ confidence and also woo visitors back with increased security measures, promotion campaigns and also every citizen lending a hand in this effort to keep [tourists] coming.”
Visa-on arrival fee doubles
Foreign visitors from 19 countries and territories will be required to pay an increased fee for visas on arrival from next month onward. The fee is raised to 2,000 baht, up from 1,000 baht.
The new requirement will come to effect on Sept 27, the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Consular Affairs.
The 19 countries and territories are Andorra, Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, India, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Ukraine Uzbekistan.
The cabinet approved the increase in the visa-on-arrival fee in January.
Foreigners from the 19 countries and territories are allowed to stay in Thailand for up to 15 days. The hike in the fee is aimed at reducing the long queues at immigration checkpoints.
There are 42 immigration checkpoints including Suvarnabhumi airport and Don Muang international airport where foreigners can apply for visas on arrival.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
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