THE TOURISM Council of Thailand (TCT) will be lobbying for flood relief measures to help Thai tourism-related operators affected by floods in the central provinces and parts of Bangkok.
TCT president Piyaman Techapaiboon said that since the flooding had caused widespread damage to tourism as a whole, including establishments and operations in unaffected regions, the aid should not only be limited to areas affected by the floods.
The council is calling for a 500 million baht (US$16.1 million) funding to restore establishments affected by the floods, as well as special loan schemes and a relaxation in paying off existing debts for operators of tourism-related establishments and operations.
For tourism-related operators and establishments directly affected by the flood, it will broker for reduction in payments for electricity consumption and social security fund during and two months post-floods. It will also urge the government to help shoulder wages for staff during the flood period.
According to Piyaman, the TCT estimates the floods to have caused Thailand one million foreign arrivals and 50 billion baht in revenue, bringing the figures down to 18.5 million tourists and 700 billion baht in earnings.
Data by the Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, showed that in the first 10 months of this year, Thailand recorded 15.79 million foreign arrivals, up 25.01 per cent year-on-year.
The TCT assessed that visitor numbers in November would likely drop by 30 per cent year-on-year due to the decline in bookings from China and Russia. The situation is expected to improve in December, with visitor numbers expected to fall by just 10 per cent year-on-year.
