The Thai Hotels Association (THA) will ask the government for Bt5 billion to help operators affected by the current political problem. At the same time, the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is planning three events to reclaim business travellers from Europe.
Prakit Chinamourphong, president of the THA, said the Bt5 billion would go to small and mediumsized operators with registered capital below Bt200 million.
He said many operators in Bangkok and also in key tourist destinations were hit by the current political situation. Since antigovernment protesters appeared in Bangkok's Rajprasong in early April, tourism business in the area has been hit hard. At least six hotels in the area closed their doors while more than a thousand shops closed.
The association will soon meet with its members and ask them to join the assistance scheme.
Within the next week, the TCEB will introduce Thailand Maximise Package with addi¬tional offers called Thailand Extra Value in European mar¬kets to reclaim business trav¬ellers into Thailand.
The bureau will bring 30 Thai operators to join business trade shows in London and Geneva from May 1925. The group will then participate in the Imex event in Frankfurt.
Charoen Wangananon, vice chairman for tourism and sport at the Thai Chamber of Commerce, yesterday urged the government to improve and rebuild tourism attractions dur¬ing this low season.
He also asked the govern¬ment to build rapid trains to link Bangkok to Nong Khai province in the Northeast and Phuket Island in the South in order to serve tourists. Human resource development is also needed, he said.
"If the government could add some big infrastructure proj¬ects and improve our products, the country should claim 15 million visitors per year and increase revenue up to Bt1.5 trillion per year," he said.