BANGKOK: Thailand is hoping for a revival of tourist numbers after the blast at the Erawan shrine in central Bangkok last month.
Initially the Ministry of Tourism and Sports estimated that Thailand would see a loss of 1.33 million foreign tourists and US$149 million due to reduced tourist confidence. But it now says the worst has passed.
“The shock has happened in a big way in a short period of time,” said Areepong Bhoocha-oom, Permanent Secretary for the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports. “But the number of passengers is climbing back again and all the numbers we have are still higher than the previous year.”
Authorities also believe that the damage is localised to the Ratchaprasong area, with tourist arrivals in popular holiday spots such as Chiang Mai and Phuket unaffected.
However, local initiatives have been cropping up to try to revive the Ratchaprasong area, the heart of Bangkok’s shopping district. In a bid to attract tourists, a group of local businessmen have organised a street art event to restore confidence in the area.
Now, more than one month on, hotels in the area seem to be doing well.
“The hotels I think, some are fully booked some are not, but I think on average it should be close to around 85-90% (occupancy),” said Chai Srivikorn, president of Ratchaprasong Square Trade Association.
Shopping malls such as CentralWorld say that they remain positive that tourists will continue to return.
“It’s been a month now and things are back to normal, I can certainly say that occupancy in hotels are back to normal and people, tourism coming into the country will see an influx towards the end of the year,” said Isareit Chirathivat, vice president of CentralWorld.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has also said that tourist numbers are expected to hit at least 28 million arrivals in 2015 exceeding last year’s 25 million. Thailand will be banking on hitting these figures and ending the year on a positive note as it struggles with a sluggish economy.