Hotel group, BMA to push Charm of Bangkok abroad

In major centres including London, Dubai, Seoul, Shanghai and Moscow, the BMA and selected hoteliers based in Bangkok will look for ways to present the attractive aspects of the Thai capital such as shopping, entertainment and nightlife.
THA president Surapong Techa-ruvichit said this was the first time the association had worked with the BMA officially, especially in helping organise trade platforms between local hoteliers and buyers.
It is essential to promote Bangkok in international arenas like Dubai and London. More important, Bangkok collects tax from business operators, so it should help the business sector lure more foreign tourists here, Surapong said.
“The more foreign tourists come to Bangkok, the more tax the city can collect from the business community.” He sees no negative internal factors threatening the hospitality business in the coming year.
In spite of a potential series of political demonstrations, these will not have any impact if foreign governments do not issue “travel warnings” to their citizens.
The demonstration that took place last weekend was one example. Although riot police dispersed the protesters with tear gas and there were injuries, this did not affect the Kingdom’s tourism prospects because foreign governments did not issue warnings against visiting Thailand.
However, some external factors may present new threats to the industry. One is the troubled economic performance in Europe. Another is climate change, which may result in unpredictable situations.
He said the hotel industry was doing better than it did last year, when the country was hit by the flood crisis.
The average occupancy rate is expected to be 65-70 per cent, an increase of 10-15 percentage points from last year.
During the last two months of this year, room bookings in some major provinces are high.