For example, Chinese visitors remained reluctant to visit Thailand because of the
continued political conflict. Instead they were changing their destinations to
Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Philippines and Bali. “Thai tourism will not improve as
long as the problem of Thai politics remains unaddressed, despite the upcoming
Airport Link.” said Sidivachr Cheewarattananaporn, the honor chairman of the Thai-
Chinese Tourism Alliance Association.
Also High fees damage Thai tourism. Thai tourism has lost out to Asean neighbors
Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines as a result, said Tony Fernandes, chief
executive of AirAsia Group, Asia’s largest low-cost carrier.
For example, Airports of Thailand’s charge is among the highest in Asia, he said.
The executive advocated slashing it for budget carriers to 250 baht, the price in
Malaysia, to reduce costs for travelers. “People will fly if the price is right: they are
not scared of bombs” he added.
The problems were also expressed by Thai travel agents The Association of Thai
Travel Agents projects foreign tourist to Thailand will decrease by 38% to 1.5 million
this year due to the persistence of global economic problems and local political
instability.
For example, the strike by railway workers caused many rail-based tour groups,
especially those from Malaysia and Singapore, to cancel their trips. said Surapol
Sritrakul, the association’s president. The incident also affected European visitors
who bought rail packages, as they simply moved on to other countries.