ALTHOUGH the lifting of curfew at Thailand’s three popular tourist destinations of Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui is barely days old, several Thai hoteliers at the Thailand Travel Mart Plus are already reporting immediate benefits.
“Our OTA bookings came back immediately for our Pattaya properties – Siam Bayshore Resort & Spa and The Bayview. Both hotels saw a pick up of 15 per cent in OTA bookings yesterday, compared with our daily average of 30 bookings,” said Pawich Chokkanlayanee, sales manager of The Sukosol, Bangkok, who added that OTA bookings have fallen 50 per cent since the curfew was introduced.
“These bookings are mostly Asian FITs, a signal that shorthaul visitors are just waiting for a comeback,” he added.
Although the curfew still remains in place for Bangkok, The Sukosol, Bangkok has also rolled out a Book Today Stay Today promotion to entice shorthaul visitors visiting the capital via last-minute fare promotions from regional LCCs such as Scoot and AirAsia, according to Pawich.
While no discernible surge has been observed for overseas bookings in the last two days for Radisson Blu Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach, the resort’s assistant director of sales Jitlada Chahomchuen revealed that the lifting of the curfew led to an immediate hike in domestic bookings.
“Bookings rose some 30-40 per cent for the domestic market, mostly Thai corporate groups. After the curfew lift was announced, it made those who were still considering Phuket make their decision easier,” Jitlada remarked, adding that the Thais’ understanding that the current political situation does not entail major safety concerns is a factor in the quick return of bookings.
Welcoming the curfew lift, Nattaya Chitchonthan, group director of sales and marketing of Sugar Marina Phuket, said: “The curfew had not affected much of our operations. Some clients cancelled their reservations initially but returned later to make bookings again after seeing it was business as usual in Phuket.
“The number of advance bookings we’re getting for July and August are making us hopeful. After all, July and August are deemed the ‘high season’ of the low season with the number of school holidays in Asia.”
