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But I still remember November 26 when my flight from Udon Thani landed at Don Mueang Airport. I was shocked on seeing the big crowd. It was as if Don Mueang had come back to life - but the kind of life that nobody wanted.

The foreign tourists looked exhausted, after hours of waiting as it took time to have their luggage cleared. As a result, suitcases were piled up here and there at the airports, while many sat on trolleys, waiting for the belts to start working and roll in their bags.

Don Mueang Airport director Anirut Thanomkulbutra also looked to be under huge stress. Nobody knew how long the protesters would keep control of Suvarnabhumi Airport, and Anirut said that after accommodating 18 diverted flights, Don Mueang had to stop accepting new planes due to an overload and fears that protesters would take control of the domestic airport as well.

Alas, hours after that, they did.

It was reported that during the next 10 days about 350,000 tourists were left stranded in the country. Several airlines worked hard during that period to get in to fly their passengers back home.

The airlines know that travel agencies are vital in supporting their business. With their help, they are assured of selling as many tickets as possible. And at this time of crisis, some agencies exploited the situation.

I have heard that some airlines had to provide special seats for those agencies' clients, when the airports were closed and tourists were scrambling for seats. While tourists queued up at airport offices for flight rerouting and rescheduling, others simply went to a travel agent. In turn, the travel agencies called in to airline offices and asked for bulk seats, say 30 or 40 at a time.

I felt terrible for those tourists who had to stand for hours in front of counters, not knowing that while they were waiting, available seats were being given to others via another route altogether.

But I guess nobody should be blamed. As everybody wanted to go home, they were prepared to do anything to achieve their goal.

Alas, when (most) Thais are proud of what we have to offer, it is apparent that we could not have been more attractive during this very difficult period. One of the foreign staff in my office extended the country's tourism slogan from "Welcome to Thailand" to "Welcome to Thailand … You'll love the country so much, you'll never leave!"