Tourism outlook unaffected by blasts, TAT says

Among the upcoming events are the Hat Yai International Championship from Friday to Sunday with 500 participants, TAT Challenge @ Hat Yai on April 28 with 140 people, and “Biking for Tourism to Celebrate Their Majesties and the Crown Prince’s Royal Birthdays in Four Miracle Lands 555km” from April 28-May 1 with 800 participants. 

On Friday, the TAT will meet with tourism industry representatives in Hat Yai, including TAT officials based in Singapore and Malaysia, to find practical ways to restore confidence in the area, Thawatchai Arunyik, TAT’s executive for domestic marketing, said yesterday.

The meeting will include representatives of the Thailand Incentive and Convention Association, the Association of Domestic Travel and the Tourism Council of Thailand. TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni will also attend. 

However, restoring confidence among foreign tourists could be difficult. Malaysia, Singapore and the UK have alerted their citizens to reconsider travel to troubled provinces including Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla, a source said. 

Suraphon said confidence-rebuilding efforts would start as soon as possible after the situation calms down. Marketing activities will be launched. One of the highlights is to invite Singaporean and Malaysian media to the area so that they can get accurate information. The TAT is monitoring the situation closely, the governor said.

Thawatchai said that so far Thailand’s overall tourism outlook had not been bruised by the car bombings. Tourists are still coming here, especially from the Middle East and Australia, the executive said. 

The Songkran Festival will still be celebrated, but with greater security. Some are worried that the problem may spread to other provinces in the South, but Thawatchai played down this fear. 

Songkhla is a major tourist destination in the South. From April 13-17 last year, 50,000 people came to enjoy Songkran, dropping Bt142 million into the local economy. 

Last year, 2.07 million Thais visited Songkhla and 872,102 foreigners. There were 131 hotels supplying 10,000 guestrooms. In 2010, tourism revenue in the province reached Bt15.88 billion. 

The Tourism Ministry has started to pay insurance compensation for foreign tourists injured or killed in the recent explosion in Hat Yai. The kin of dead victims will receive US$10,000 (Bt300,000) and all the medical bills for injured victims will be picked up. The budget for insurance for foreign tourists who are injured or killed from terrorism or natural disasters is Bt200 million. 

The explosions in Hat Yai and Yala over the weekend have affected tourism in Ranong and six other provinces in the upper South. Investor confidence has plummeted and projects have been suspended or postponed, said Naruemol Khorraphoom, the head of the Ranong Chamber of Commerce.

There has been only one investment in the sub-region with Bt20 million spent since the beginning of the year, compared to Bt2 billion from many investors in January 2011 alone. There are already several negative factors including political conflicts, and terror attacks would make the situation worse, he said.

In Hat Yai, security has been heightened at hotels and high-rises, with thorough body and baggage searches and bans on cars using alternative fuels parking inside buildings.

Shopping malls and supermarkets were quiet.

The Central Department Store opposite Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel, which suffered a car bomb attack, reopened on Monday after losing Bt10 million in revenue over the two-day closure. Manager Sutthinart Laksanajan said shoppers wearing jackets or thick clothes were searched.

"Anyone not cooperative will be restricted from entering but most are," she said.

Motorists entering the Novotel Centara Hat Yai are asked to step out for body and vehicle searches.

Pol Lt General Jakthip Chaijinda said security would be intensive for at least three months.