Siam Paragon explosion 'will not affect tourism in the long term'

“Though no lives were taken, it might still destroy the country’s image and confidence of tourists. However, there is nothing major to worry about right at the moment, as there have been no cancellations or queries from partners overseas,” Supawan Tanomkieatipume, marketing chief for Thai Hotels Association, said yesterday.
However, she said, if the blasts are found to have been linked to any political groups, the tourism industry would suffer a greater negative impact, not only during the Chinese New Year period, but for the entire quarter.
Thailand hopes Chinese New Year, which will be marked on February 19 this year, will draw millions of visitors.
“Hotel operators have already received a lot of advance bookings from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, as well as many other countries from Asia,” she said.
Supawan went on to say that tourism had bounced back last month, thanks to more tourists from Asia, even though arrivals from the West remained slow. She added that tourists from Japan are expected to return this month.
According to Ittirit Kinglake, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), tourism operators were not too worried about the bomb attack as they believe the incident was not meant to cause much damage, but just to annoy people.

‘More concern’
However, Ittirit said if the incident was found related to political groups, it could create more concern about tourism environment and confidence.
“The council has been calling on the government to lift martial law to boost tourism and rebuild confidence, but the Sunday bombing will shake up the travel sector again,” he said.
Meanwhile, TCT is calling on the government and officials to focus more on security and safety, particularly in public areas.
“We need to wait and see,” he said.
Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said the bomb attack should not affect the tourism industry in the long term, but it might have an effect on meetings and conferences from large corporations from overseas.
She said she was confident that tourists would continue coming to Thailand, as most of them understand the political situation.
“The government has already explained the reason why martial law is necessary, and it does not impinge on people’s daily lives and on tourists. Life has continued as normal after the Sunday night blasts and Siam Paragon has opened as usual,” she added.
Tourist Police have been ordered to boost security in the area, and the Foreign Ministry has also been alerted to communicate with tourists.
Last month, there were 2.65 arrivals, marking a 15.9 per cent growth from the same month last year. The arrivals are expected to generate an income of Bt120 billion, 12.7 per cent more than last January.
The ministry expects the number of tourists to continue rising this month thanks to Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day, as well as soar in April during the Songkran festival.