Year's tourism target stays despite blast

Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said yesterday that international arrivals had dropped from 85,000 per day before the blast at Ratchaprasong Intersection to 70,000 per day this week, blamed on concerns about safety.

Since the incident, 3,000-4,000 business travellers have cancelled plans to attend meetings and conferences at hotels near the intersection.

“If there is more violence within the next three months, the country would seem likely to lose 1 million tourists and foreign income of Bt70 billion [this year],” she said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand is evaluating the impact on the sector from the Erawan Shrine blast, but believes the country could lose even more visitors – up to 2 million – if there were to be a second attack.

Kobkarn, however, said the official projections for this year remained unchanged, with the country aiming for 28.8 million tourists and Bt2.2 trillion in income from the domestic and international markets.

During the past week, foreign-tourist arrivals have declined by 7 per cent compared with past trends, said Areepong Bhoocha-oom, Tourism and Sports Ministry permanent secretary. He expects this number to fluctuate during the next two weeks. 

Looking at a longer period, however, tourist arrivals between August 1 and 23 totalled 2.1 million, some 31.6 per cent higher than in the same period last year, he said.

“The ministry and related agencies will join forces to initiate more than 30 marketing events to reclaim tourists to the country in the remaining months of the year,” he added.

Meanwhile, other measures have been added, including innovative technologies that have been developed for safety and security purposes, increased surveillance-camera installations at corners and blind spots, and a higher number of security forces – both in uniform and plain clothes – to survey and monitor certain areas, said the official.

The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau yesterday said it would move to reinforce the 2015 partnership programme under Thailand’s “MICE United II” campaign with the hosting of the “Thailand Connect the World: China MICE Commemorative Dinner 2015”, to be held on September 17 in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

The event is a marketing and public-relations activity under the strategic campaign, in collaboration with nine public and private organisations, with a view to reinvigorating the Kingdom’s positive image and position as a gateway to Asean, especially as the region is moving toward the implementation of the Asean Economic Community at the end of this year, said the bureau.

Meanwhile, Kobkarn said her ministry was joining forces with two global tourism bodies – the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) of the United Nations – to restore tourism in the Kingdom.

David Scowsill, president and chief executive officer of the WTTC, said last week’s lethal bomb blast in the Ratchaprasong area would have a short-term impact on Thai tourism.

However, the sector is expected to rebound during the high season, as the country has some of world’s most beautiful attractions that have captivated millions of tourists for many years, he said.

Carlos Vogeler, director-executive secretary of member relations at the UNWTO, echoed these sentiments.