Hotels join in tourist boost
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About 600 hotels and resorts nationwide are planning to offer special rates to rebuild domestic tourism devastated by the flooding.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Hotels Association (THA) are working on the second phase of their relief campaign, which is expected to be launched soon to encourage local people to travel in the country, particularly in the unaffected provinces, TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said yesterday.
TAT and THA earlier introduced special offers to help flood victims at 31 hotels, with rates of Bt600, Bt900 and Bt1,200 per night, but bookings have already exceeded the rooms
allotted.
THA members will now offer special weekly rates.
TAT estimates that domestic tourism will suffer at least Bt1 billion in damage and possibly up to Bt7.6 billion in the worst case.
Kongkrit Kiranyakit, vice president and chairman for policy at the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said the number of local travellers would drop by 20-30 per cent or 70,000 from the average of 250,000 per day.
The TCT also urged the government to strengthen efforts to protect the only commercial airport left operating in Bangkok.
“Suvarnabhumi Airport cannot be closed. About 70 per cent of foreign visitors use it, so the government must give them confidence that it is safe,” Kongkrit said.
