Desiree Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 Return of advance booking heralds tourism recovery By SUCHAT SRITAMA THE NATION Published on September 3, 2009 Thailand's hotel and tourism industry is seeing a return of some advance holiday bookings by foreign travellers for the high season later this year. That could lead to a recovery in the industry next year if the country's political situation remains stable, executives said yesterday. At a conference entitled "A Bright New Future: The Vision for Asean Hospitality in 2010", executives shared their opinion that next year should be better. Dusit International CEO Chanin Donavanik said a recovery would happen next year, although business would not be as good as in precrisis 2007. "Arrivals have been down 20-30 per cent over the last 12-18 months, but it should improve over the next 12-18 months," he said. Thai Hotels Association president Prakit Chinamourphong said the industry had already seen signs of a recovery. Many hotels are receiving advance bookings for the upcoming high season, which starts around November, so the association believes the industry will return to normal next year. While the number of tourists from key markets like Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong has dropped, other markets have seen a recovery, such as Germany. However, he cautioned new hotel rooms would be added over the next three years, particularly in the luxury category, which meant operators might find themselves in a difficult position. Prakit said average occupancy for this year was expected to rise to 70 per cent, less than last year's 80-90 per cent. Minor International chief financial officer Pratana Mongkolkul told the same seminar on Tuesday that occupancy rates would rise next year, but room rates might not. The group's local hotels have witnessed drops of 20 per cent in occupancy and 10 per cent in the average room rate, while its foreign properties have suffered drops of 15 per cent in occupancy and 2-3 per cent in room rates. NO WAY OUT "There's no way out now. We hope the political situation can stabilise so we can forge next year's plans. That is now the most important factor, because the chaos hurt tourism last year," Pratana said. Regale International Travel managing director Jumpol Chadavadh said cruise vacations were becoming a new emerging market in Thailand and the region, with some operators including Thailand on their global routes. "Some markets, such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, have already been successful with the cruise-vacation business, because they have good seaports. If we had good facilities, we could attract more operators to come here," he said. Link: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2009/09/03/business/business_30111368.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 A Pattaya realtor told me today that advance codo rentals for high season are strong. His take is that people are taking less trips to Thailand but staying longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WannaGo Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Have those of you who live there had any reason to be concerned about your safety during the political unrest of the last few years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Have those of you who live there had any reason to be concerned about your safety during the political unrest of the last few years?I never have had a moment's concern for my safety here in Thailand at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaimo Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I never have had a moment's concern for my safety here in Thailand at any time.The same applies to me. The uprisings were confined to a small area of Bangkok. It was a different story when they took over the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, but that had no effect on anyone unless you had a need to go to the airport during that time. For most people, if it wasn't for the publicity you wouldn't even have known anything was happening at all. Except for that area of Bangkok life here was perfectly normal. There is no need to fear coming to Thailand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 I think the damage caused was due to the hype and not to an actual threat to safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Have those of you who live there had any reason to be concerned about your safety during the political unrest of the last few years? Not at all. I am concerned about vehicular accidents though. I would rent a motobike in a busy area such as Bangkok or Pattaya unless you ride a motorcycle in your home country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts