Travel

Thailand tourism bounces back

Indunil HEWAGE in Bangkok

The latter months of the 2011 has been a tough time for Thailand's tourism industry with one of the worst floods that affected several parts of the country after a lapse of 40 years.

However , Thailand tourism industry which offers a great variety of attractions to local and international holiday travellers, is back to normal following the recent floods that swept through the central provinces, including Bangkok and the world heritage site Ayutthaya.

However, the floods did not affect the North and the Northeast of Thailand and popular destinations such as, Hua Hin and Pattaya remained open for visitors.

Almost all key tourist destinations and attractions throughout Thailand were not affected by the flooding. Other destinations in North Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Chiang Rai, South Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani, Ko Samui, and most of the Central Region Pattaya, Hua Hin, Rayong were also not affected by the flood.

The World Heritage Site in Ayutthaya has been fully cleaned up and tourists are returning. Some parts of the World Heritage Site require restoration, which the Fine Arts Department is doing in close co-operation with UNESCO.

The cleanup operations particularly canals have taken place and flight operations at the Suvarnabhumi airport was also not affected as a result of the efficient water protection system implemented there. No flights were cancelled to the Suvarnabhumi international airport during floods.

The Thailand government is making every effort to prevent any possible flood situation in the foreseeable future and it is noteworthy to mention that Thai people have volunteered to clean up debris of the flood affected areas. The Thailand tourism industry accounts for 6% of the country's gross domestic production whilst providing more than two million job opportunities.

The tourism industry plays a vital role for the development of overall economy in Thailand and expects to have 18.5 million tourists to the kingdom at the end of December this year, Tourism and Sports Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chumpol Silpa-archa said.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), international tourist arrivals to Thailand recorded a 25% growth to top 15.7 million from January to October 2011 as against the corresponding period.

During the first eleven months of this year, Thailand welcomed 17.1 million tourists indicating a 21.2% growth over last year.

Thailand has expectations for market recovery and aims to have 19.55 million international tourist arrivals in 2012, reflecting an increase of 6.83%, amounting to USD 25.5 billion which is an increase of 9%.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand figures, there was a drop of around 500,000 to 600,000 international visitor arrivals to Thailand and it accounted a 4-6 % slump in tourism revenue for 2011, or around 700 to 800 million US dollars.

The tourism industry is projected to record a revenue of around 22.7 to 23 billion US dollars in 2011 up 18 to 20% compared to 2010 and estimate 18.3 to 18.6 million international tourist arrivals for 2011, which still represents more than 15% growth over last year's 15.9 million arrivals. Most of the long-haul international tourist arrivals to Thailand particularly from Europe remained solid during the floods and some visitors from the long-haul markets put off their visit to Thailand until early 2012 or readjusted their itineraries to various tourist destinations inside the country.

As a result of this, there was more than 30 % growth in tourist arrivals to the Phuket International Airport during the first three weeks of November 2011.

"The Thai tourism sector is very resilient. It has bounced back quickly from similar situations in the past. This clearly shows travellers' preference for and loyalty to the Thailand brand: Authenticity, Value for Money and Hospitality.

"While the floods have impacted life here in so many ways, there is one authentic and positive element that has shone through. It is the quality of "Thainess" - the culture and attitude that makes Thailand unique as a preferred destination and brings in visitors from all over the world," the TAT said.

TAT assists international visitors to make best decisions about their visiting to Thailand giving balanced ,updated information on Thailand and on the many tourist attractions open and ready to welcome visitors.

TAT closely works with the public and private sector to disseminate accurate information about the present situation in Thailand through proactive communications with global media, online and offline via 26 TAT overseas offices, to potential tourists, tour operators, trade associations and others in the industry worldwide.

Despite the challenges from natural perils, Thailand hopes to secure its position as a favourite tourist destination in the world as a result of prudent policies and aggressive marketing strategies.