Thailand woos tourists as UAE lifts travel advisory

The fundamentals of Thailand’s economy remain strong, with the country achieving a robust GDP growth of 12 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, the Consul-General Pasan Teparak, has said.

While launching an aggressive wave of campaign promotions aimed at marketing Thailand as “the original home of smiles”, Teparak said the country has learnt from its mistakes and assured travellers that “we are back to business.”

Consequently, the UAE Foreign Ministry has lifted a warning recently issued to its citizens against travel to Thailand.

The Asian country that for many years has been the favourite destination for many tourists seeking sun, sand and sin, has seen its fortunes wane with the number of visitors dropping significantly, due to intermittent political tensions and unrests.

The protests pitying Red Shirt anti-government protesters and law enforcers led to a shutdown of Bangkok’s main shopping and tourist district, with hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and shopping malls being the hardest hit. This led to more than 40 countries issuing travel advisories regarding Bangkok. The protesters who largely support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and call new elections.

“Today Thailand is back to business. The impact of the riots has cost Thailand a very expensive lesson and the country needs to be restored back as soon as possible,” Teparak told Alrroya.com on the sidelines of the event aptly dubbed “We Love Thailand”, at the Dusit Hotel Thani in Dubai

Tourists forecast revised to 12 million visitors

According to the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations (FTTA), forecasts for this year were revised to 12 million visitors, down from 15 mln after the political standoff and the subsequent violent clashes caused losses of about 60 billion to 70 bln baht ($1.9 bln to $2.2 bln) in tourism-related revenues.

“These were just internal domestic issues which shouldn’t affect tourism since Thai people have not changed, the country’s exotic food has not changed, and of course its beautiful picturesque scenery has not changed,” the Consul general, said.

Despite the negative effect of the political tensions on tourism in Bangkok, official statistics show that other cities in Thailand like Phuket have been recording a steady increase in tourist numbers, especially from Scandinavian countries - whose currencies have rocketed upward recently as the euro has dived - along with tourists from oil-rich Russia and the Gulf.

Hospitality sector resilient despite crises

The tropical resort island of Phuket lies 800 kilometres from Bangkok and most cautious travelers steering well clear of the Thai capital have been vacationing there.

Despite its past recent crises that have bedeviled the country, Thailand tourism industry has managed to show some still resilient.

The Yellow Shirt anti-government protests that preceded the Red Shirt demos still linger in many minds, especially for tourists. During the Yellow Shirts’ 2008 turmoil, the occupation of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi international airport played a major role in denting the country’s image.

Other crises that have bedeviled the country include the bird flu epidemic, the tsunami which killed about 5,000 people in Thailand in 2004 and other incidents like the Bali bombing.

“When the going gets tough, the tough gets things going. This is why I’m briefing you on the current situation in Thailand and to show you that Thailand is now back on track, blinking on your radar screen as one of best destinations to travel before the summer begins,” Teparak said.

While lifting the travel advisory against Thailand, Sultan Al Ali, Director of Media and Government Communications Affairs at UAE Foreign Ministry said: “This resolution was motivated by the return of life in the Thai capital Bangkok and other cities of provinces to normalcy.”