Thai tourism had barely started picking up from last year’s shutdown of Bangkok airports by protesters when violence returned to the capital as troops and demonstrators swapped gunfire and firebombs this week.
Hundreds of local and foreign tourists still gathered yesterday to celebrate the water festival in Bangkok’s Khao San Road, a magnet for budget travellers, but some businessmen wondered how many foreigners would be back next year.
“This could be the last time you see such joy and celebration here in Thailand,” said a less-than-festive Surat Wongcharnsilp, chairman of the Association of Khao San Business Operators.
“Around 80 per cent of tourists have checked out and more tourists are expected to leave after Songkran,” Surat said.
The Songkran water festival marks the start of the Thai New Year. A public holiday began yesterday, officially three days but for many Thais stretching into a week, a period to soak passers-by on the streets or spend time upcountry with family.
With many Thais moving around the country, the festival is normally one of the year’s high points for tourism, which employs about 1.8 million people out of a population of some 65 million and accounts for about 6 per cent of gross domestic product.
In all, the industry generates about 540 billion baht (€11.45 billion) annually.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn put on a reassuring voice on television.
Don’t be worried by all the troops, he said, they’re there to protect everyone, Thais and foreigners alike.
“We would like again to make your stay in Thailand as safe and secure as possible, and we believe the situation will be brought back to normal very, very soon,” he said in English.
Two days before, he had been in Pattaya, a racy Thai resort that was the venue of a summit of Asian leaders, an event the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, had touted as proof Thailand was back to normal after the event was scrapped because of unrest in 2008.
But it was cancelled again before it really got off the ground when hundreds of red-shirted protesters, supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, invaded the venue. – (Reuters)