THAILAND is taking a hit from the ongoing flood crisis in the country, with buyers and sellers at ITB Asia saying that media coverage exaggerating the extent of the disaster has impacted both leisure and MICE traffic.
Despite the Tourism Authority of Thailand saying attractions in key destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiangmai, Phuket and Koh Samui continue to operate as per normal, the country’s tourism industry is feeling the effects of the crisis.
Eric Hallin, general manager, Rembrandt Hotel & Towers Bangkok, said his hotel had already suffered “a few hundred roomnights worth of cancellations” by the time he left Thailand to attend ITB Asia. “It will probably be more like in the thousands (of roomnights) over the coming weeks,” he said. “Europe, Asia, business, leisure, you name, it is all being cancelled.”
Hallin added that not only were cancellations pouring in, the booking pace had slowed considerably. “Many people are writing in to ask about the situation before they even consider coming to Thailand,” he said.
John D Owens, senior vice president, global sales, Pegasus Solutions, also reported a drop in bookings for Thailand properties, which include those under Utell Hotels & Resorts.
“People are still shopping around for Thailand, but the number of confirmed bookings has definitely dropped,” he said.
Owens attributed the sudden drop to the lack of updated media coverage on the floods. “We heard some news about the flood when it first happened, but have received no updates since then,” he explained. “Because of a lack of media coverage and updates, most people don’t know if the situation has recovered, or what’s being done to fix it.”
Ewan Gray, director Asia Pacific, Skyscanner, reported a 19 per cent dip in the number of searches via its websites for international flights into Thailand over the last five days, over the same period in September.
Patrick Lee, regional director, Best Travel Deals Singapore, had to relocate four incentive and meeting groups, scheduled for Bangkok over the next three months, to Jakarta, Bandung and Bali in Indonesia.
“The news is not helping, and clients would rather be safe than sorry. At least business is still there and you don’t lose the groups entirely,” he said.
– Read more in ITB Asia 2011 Official Daily – Day 1 issue
