Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's decision to step down will help bring back the lively nature of Thailand's tourism industry, helping it return to normal soon, says Chaophaya Park Hotel general manager Andrew Wood.

Wood said that whatever happened on the political scene, Thailand would be prepared to welcome about 14 million visitors this year.

He attributes this to the number of planned events, including Thailand's Grand Invitation Year, a Pacific Asia Travel Association conference, royal-barge ceremonies and the Skal World Congress, along with October's Incentive Travel and Conventions Meetings Asia conference in Pattaya.

"All of these events will attract more tourists to the country, so we need to prepare marketing strategies and preparatory work to catch up," he said.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts the Kingdom will welcome 13.8 million visitors this year. However, the political turmoil has reportedly already driven away 60,000 Chinese and 5,000 Singaporean tourists. The Kasikorn Research Centre predicts that for the entire year, international tourism arrivals will reach only 12.5 million.

Wood says hotels on Ratchadaphisek Road have been hard hit by the political crisis and downturn in tourism.

"A number of properties, particularly those with strong Singaporean links and marketing bases, have seen occupancy drop 30 per cent in recent weeks, due to the political situation," he said.

Hotels near Siam Square have also suffered, with mass demonstrations leading to an exodus of guests in the area. They will be particularly relieved the demonstrations appear to be over.

"Our expectation for 2006 was in the region of 85-90 per cent year-round occupancy. Ratchada-phisek has become increasingly popular with the opening of the MRT underground network," he said, adding that as political pressure cools off, the properties should return to normal.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation