Thailand Protests Damage Tourism Again : Kathika Travel Website

The last protests in Thailand are too recent to have forgotten – back in November 2008 we reported on the PAD protests which affected tourists in Thailand in particular by forcing the closure of the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, some of them for days.

If you are one of the many thousands who have a current trip booked to Thailand, you will no doubt have been nervous this week to see that similar protests have started all over again.

Road Blockages in Bangkok

When the Thai New Year holiday week began, anti-government protesters began firstly with peaceful protests, and then more disruptive protests which saw several areas of Bangkok blockaded. On April 12, 2009, the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency for Bangkok and surrounding areas, and soldiers were used to clamp down on protesters. No tourists were reported to be caught up in these clashes but many governments began advising their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Bangkok.

Protests in Pattaya

At the same time, some of the protesters moved to the popular resort town of Pattaya, where the ASEAN summit of Australasian leaders was about to be held. There were violent clashes with police here and the summit was then canceled and leaders evacuated – and a state of emergency was declared here as well. The political leaders and the summit were based at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort which claimed shortly after the protests stopped that the hotel managed to avoid any trouble – although they probably had quite a few empty rooms to take care of.

Near Future for Thai Tourism

Current news suggest that with fairly tight security, the situation is calm in Bangkok and Pattaya. That doesn’t mean everything is okay, of course, and the Tourism Council of Thailand has already issued a statement saying they now expect two million fewer visitors to Thailand this year – a big blow to the economy of a country that relies a lot on the tourist dollar. Experts predict that hotels will suffer the most and that more hotel workers are likely to be laid off during the coming months. In a country that was just starting to see significant numbers of tourists return after the November 2008 protests, the new round of clashes is certainly bad publicity.

If you have a trip to Thailand planned, or are wondering if you should, check for government warnings against travel – many countries have issued them during this week.

Related Travel Deals