Apichart Sankary, president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, said many travellers had cancelled overseas trips, especially to the US, UK and Australia, as the latter two countries were allies of the US in the war against terror.

It will take at least one month to restore travellers' confidence, he said.

International air travellers yesterday experienced chaos and delays as tight security remained in place at UK airports following the arrest of 24 suspects in connection with a terror plot to bomb US-bound flights.

Apichart said the disruption had apparently forced some tourists to abruptly cancel their flights to Thailand.

Prakit Shinamourpong, vice president of the Thai Hotels Association, said in the short term the hotel industry should not be adversely affected because it was low season, but he warned that the industry would be hit if the situation continued.

"I don't see any effect now, but I am afraid tourists could decide to stay at home rather than travel," said Prakit.

Apichart said damage to the industry could be contained because the plot to blow up aircraft had been foiled, but he added: "Terrorism could destroy the tourism industry if tragedy struck again, especially if it happened in countries not considered targets."

The alert level in Britain remained at the highest level, "critical", after a plot which police said could have caused "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" was foiled a day earlier.

In the US and UK, air passengers are not being allowed to take onboard any hand luggage except essential items in transparent bags. They are being advised to expect severe delays.

An officer of the Thai Travel Agents' Association said a number of travellers had started to postpone their trips to Western countries, including the UK and US.

Some had rerouted their holiday plans to other countries because of security concerns and fears of travel disruption.

As for inbound tourists, Apichart said the impact should not be severe because the incident had happened during the low season for European tourists. He believed most tourists would understand the situation and still plan to come to Thailand when the situation improved.

Airports of Thailand Plc, operator of Bangkok's Don Muang International Airport, yesterday imposed stricter security by putting an extra 100 security guards and more than 50 police dogs on duty at the airport.

Armed Forces Supreme Commander General Ruengroj Mahasaranond said the public should not panic. Security should be increased at airports and other public places in Thailand to prevent any possible attack, he said.

An officer of Destination Asia Co, a leading UK tour operator, said the alert should not be too damaging to Thailand because British tourists knew the Kingdom was not a target for terrorism.

Prakit said hotel operators in Bangkok, particularly those of five-star hotels, had responded to the incident by adding full safety measures around the clock, adding that security had been stepped up at all the capital's top hotels since the 9/11 terror attacks in the US in 2001.

According to online travel news service www.travelwirenews.com, around 500,000 travellers were affected by the disruption to British aviation. Authorities say it could take days or even weeks for services at UK airports to get back to normal.

Suchat Sritama 

The Nation