A plea to media to show the reality of Thailand situation

BANGKOK – Since he has been choosen at the head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand –TAT-, ex Domestic Deputy Governor Thawatchai Arunyik has been confronted to some of the worst times in the history of Thailand tourism. After six months of political turbulences in Bangkok with demonstrations marred sometimes by violence, the martial law and the Military Coup of June 22 has brought a new low for Thailand’s tourism image. 
 

But TAT at the same time is showing its resilience. By organizing the Thailand Travel Mart as originally planned. TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik said, “We would like to inform you that the word “coup” in Thailand is not considered as sensitive as it means in other parts of the world.
“Coup” in Thailand is still peaceful and safe for both the local people and visitors to the country.” TTM Plus had attracted a total of 314 buyers and 97 foreign media. “We see your presence as a strong indicator of your confidence that Thailand will ride this through, as it always has,” he said.

During his press conference, TAT Governor appealed to the global media present at the Travel Fair to show that life is going on as normal and that visitors can have a perfectly good holiday in Thailand.
 

To reiterate this, TAT has produced a special video featuring interviews with visitors from the UK, China, Russia and Europe asserting that they are having a great time in Thailand. One of the interviews is with a couple carrying a baby infant in a body strap cradle. Another is with three young people from the UK waiting to catch a train at Hua Lamphong Station, Bangkok’s main railway terminal. The message is simple: Thailand is perfectly safe for travellers. 
 

Some markets have been more affected than others. “We saw a decline in numbers mainly from China, Japan and Korea. And of course, this will impact our yearly results as they generate a high number of travellers, especially from China. However, I spoke to tour operators from China and they say that travellers start to come back. In fact, there is a renewed interest for Thailand since the coup happened as visitors probably feel that the country is getting safer”, adds the Governor. “Please go around Bangkok and Thailand during your time here at TTM. And please share what you experienced here”, insisted Mr. Arunyik. 
 

Meanwhile some other markets are doing well: between January and April, arrivals from European countries have risen 7.63% to 2.76 million. In April 2014, arrivals were up from the Middle East (+17.59%), Oceania (+14.11%), Europe (+12.34%), and America (+1.90%).
 

Situation is likely to further improve for tourists. The Military Government is relaxing the curfew step by step. Key  tourist destinations of Phuket, Samui and Pattaya have seen already the curfew lifted while the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is now suggesting to also exempt Krabi, Phang-nga, Trang, Hat Yai, Ko Chang, Cha-am, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai. In Bangkok, the curfew is due to stay for a while as long as the situation is not totally under control from a safety point of view. 
 

TAT is projecting international visitor arrivals in 2014 at 25.6 million, a slight drop over 2013. However, visitor expenditure is expected to rise 2.18% to 1.23 trillion Baht (US$38.4 billion). A special budget has been requested to speed up promotion while TAT continues also to plea the Military Government to offer an insurance for travellers who still wants to come to Thailand despite negative travel advisories…