More than 10,000 tourism-sector workers are expected to gather at Bangkok's CentralWorld shopping centre and nearby Lumpini Park next week in a show of unity to call on activists from both sides of the country's political schism to shun violence and help restore foreign tourists' confidence as the Songkran Festival approaches.
Apichart Sankary, a tourism expert at the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations (FETTA) and former president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), said FETTA is working with its eight member associations to organise the event.
FETTA is calling on employees of hotels, travel agencies and related businesses to gather at CentralWorld and Lumpini Park in the heart of the capital. "I expect more than 10,000 people will join the event," Apichart said.
Those workers who cannot travel to the event are being urged to show their support by standing outside their place of work, he said.
Apichart said the event was intended to send a message to protesters of all hues, urging them to avoid violence, which he said harmed the country's image. The association also wants political activists to end calls for the government to dissolve the House of Representatives.
"It's time people working in tourism stood up and came to the defence of the industry. If we cannot solve [Thailand's] internal problems or ease the situation by April 5, the Kingdom will lose a lot more visitors during the Songkran Festival," he said.
CHARTER FLIGHTS CANCELLED
Apichart said FETTA has been planning the event for months, and hoped it would restore confidence in Thailand as a tourist destination. As of Friday, more than 30 charter flights from China - due to arrive with 4,500 Chinese tourists - had been cancelled by Chinese firms, representing a loss to the economy of approximately Bt135 million, he said.
Thai tour operators have cancelled an additional 20 Chinese charter flights planned for the mid-April Songkran Festival due to fears of political unrest.
The tourism sector has borne the economic brunt of the political turmoil for more than three years, and players in the industry fear the situation will only worsen in the second half of this year.
To cope with the mid-year low season, operators are now being advised to seek new markets such as Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
FETTA recently revised downward its projection of 15.5 million tourist arrivals this year to 12 million. Expected revenue has dropped from Bt600 billion to Bt400 billion.
FETTA comprises ATTA, the Thai Hotels Association, the Thai Travel Agents Association, the Association of Domestic Travel, the Thai Eco-tourism and Adventure Travel Association, the Thai Transport Operators Association, the Thai-Japan Tourist Association and the Thai-Chinese Tourist Association.
