Tsunami panic to have only minor impact on tourism

Suchart Hirunkanokkul, president of the Thai Hotels Association Southern Chapter, said only 10 per cent of local tourists cancelled their bookings during the Songkran festival after the tsunami warnings. Foreign tourists, especially from Europe and the United States, have largely confirmed their trips to those areas, including Phuket, Krabi and Phang Nga. 

Some tourist groups from Japan cancelled trips to Phuket. There have been no cancellations for the post-Songkran period in Phuket. The period is expected to see a strong turnout of incentive and meeting groups, said Susdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA).

Meanwhile, Kongkrit Hiranyakit, the Tourism Council of Thailand’s president for policy and planning, estimated between 10 and 20 per cent cancellations during April 12-16. There is no need to reduce room rates, especially via travel agent channels, to draw tourists, Kongkrit said. 

“I believe they understand the situation well. It is a natural disaster, not a terrorist attack,’’ Kongkrit said, adding that the chance existed for the country to turn a crisis into an opportunity by showing off its natural disaster crisis-management system. Following yesterday’s evacuation by local authorities, tourists should be more confident that they will be moved to a safe place in the event of an emergency, thanks to practice drills, he added. 

Taking a look at Patong beach in Phuket yesterday, Suchart, also managing director of the Phuket Graceland Resort in Patong, said there were a lot of foreign tourists enjoying sunbathing on the beach and swimming. The evidence is clear that the situation had returned to normal, Suchart said. As a result, tourism had not been affected to the extent many feared, he added. 

A local woman working as a DJ in Phuket said yesterday was a normal day in the town, as if nothing had happened. Everybody was in a happy mood ahead of the Songkran festival, she said. The tsunami alert was a good lesson for local people on what to do in the future should a disaster strike, she said.

“Local people are happy with the tsunami alert centre, which did its job effectively. The airport reopening, especially, was faster than we expected,’’ she said. 

Airlines announced the resumption of normal flights to Phuket. They included Thai Airways (THAI), AirAsia and Bangkok Airways. National carrier THAI added extra flights to pick up passengers stranded because of Phuket International Airport’s temporary closure.

The airline also offered more flexible terms to passengers affected by the closure. Those stranded on Wednesday can now change the day of their departure to any date within 90 days without paying any extra charge or ticket price differential. At present, Phuket is a provincial hub for AirAsia, connecting to domestic and international destinations including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bali and Jakarta. 

Bangkok Airways has added extra flights for a total of 26 a day to pick up passengers stranded in Phuket. The first flights resumed at 5am yesterday.