Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa said the political situation would not seriously affect the tourism sector and expressed confidence the country could meet its inbound target of 15.5 million visitors this year.
Chumpol said the ongoing rally by the anti-government red shirts would not adversely affect the tourism industry, as the protests had been free from violence and the government had been able to control the situation. He said the number of inbound tourists this month had increased.
He said the ministry has supported collaboration between government and tour operators to bring in tourists to meet the target this year, particularly from China. It is also promoting Thailand as a healthcare destination and "community-based tourism", which involves travel to learn about the way of life and culture of local communities.
Prakit Piriyakiet, deputy governor for marketing communications of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the number of inbound tourists from March 1 to 21 had increased 17 per cent year on year, despite the red-shirt rally and the government bringing some areas under the internal security law.
This suggests that most foreign tourists are not concerned with the demonstrations. The TAT has also provided information to tourists on websites and in the foreign press that the demonstration will not affect them and they can travel as planned.
Prakit is confident the number of inbound tourists this year will meet the target of at least 15.5 million and that the number of tourists to healthcare destinations will be higher than the 1.4 million last year.
Dr Zadok Lempert, president and CEO of Medico Management and Travel Service International, said that among healthcare destinations, Thailand had a lower cost than Singapore and Malaysia yet offered the same high quality and service.
Peter Richards, marketing support and development coordinator of the Thailand Community-Based Tourism Institute, said many foreign tourists these days showed more interest in travelling to local communities to learn about their way of life, local wisdom as well as enjoy the natural beauty of the communities.
Meanwhile, Kanok Suwanvisut, chairman of the Thai Hotels Association in the North, said hotel bookings for Songkran in Chiang Mai - the major destination for the annual water festival - were only 45-55 per cent, down from 70 per cent last previous year. He attributed the fall to political rallies, which have affected tourist confidence.
To address the problem, about 40 member hotels have agreed to join a promotion campaign offering a 50-per-cent discount on the room rate, a free breakfast and extra bed from April 1-18, targeting family travellers.
Kanok believes that by the end of this month, the number of participating hotels will rise to 50.
Chalermsak Suranant, director of the TAT Northern Region, said the promotion could push occupancy to 70-80 per cent.
During the nine-day holiday period, Chiang Mai is expected to generate at least Bt1 billion in revenue.
