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"We need to reconcile and stabilise our political system before we can really tackle economic and other issues confronting the country," said Kamala.

In her opinion, Abhisit needs to go on CNN or BBC and the likes to get the message of national reconciliation across to the international community.

Hosting the Asean Summit in February - sooner than the previous schedule of March - will be helpful in terms of helping to restore international confidence in Thailand.

Yet, the government will still face a daunting task in reviving the economy in the wake of both domestic and international crises.

Among the hardest-hit sectors is the tourism industry, as the forced shutdown of two Bangkok airports late last month has resulted in a sharp drop in foreign tourist arrivals at the start of what is usually the annual high season.

For instance, Suvarnabhumi Airport reported that the number of international and domestic visitors had dropped by nearly 50 per cent from about 100,000 to less than 50,000 per day.

"Who will take responsibility for the airport shutdowns?" said Kamala, who runs a hotel in Bangkok and another two in the resort city of Pattaya.

Most hotels, especially those catering to foreign visitors, have suffered dramatically in the wake of the eight-day airport sieges.

Their occupancy rates have plunged to as low as 10-40 per cent in the midst of their high season, when occupancy is usually more than 80 per cent.

The tourist season in Thailand runs from November to March.

As a result of the airport sieges, Thailand's international image has been severely battered. Many tourists have therefore shifted their holiday plans to Malaysia or Singapore, or other regional destinations, out of security concerns about Thailand.

"The situation is so bad. It's worse than the Sars or bird-flu epidemics. It's probably the worst in my 30-plus years in the industry," said Kamala, 72, whose hotel properties are the Siam City Hotel in Bangkok, and the Siam Bayshore and Siam Bayview in Pattaya.

Kamala suggested that the government consider paying compensation to foreign airlines and other business operators whose businesses were damaged by the airport sieges.

For instance, landing and other fees should be reduced to help compensate for airlines' business losses during the shutdowns.

"Then the government will have to act quickly to revive the tourism sector. For example, the Tourism Authority of Thailand should start new marketing campaigns to promote tourists to return to Thailand.

"We should start with neighbouring [and other regional] markets such as India, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong or Malaysia.

"India with a population of 1.1 billion is very promising, as the number of middle-class Indians has risen rapidly in the past years.

"They also appear to be less sensitive [to political instability] than other markets such as Japan. I heard that the TAT will hold a major roadshow to India next month to promote tourism to Thailand," she said.