Thai tourism fares well despite crisis<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (Reuters): Thailand's tourism industry is thriving as
\nthe weak baht currency enables local hotels and tour operators to
\noffer cheap holidays, the head of one of Thailand's biggest
\nhotels said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Jean-Fernand Wasser, general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach
\nHotel in Pattaya, said Thai operators have stressed Thailand's
\nstability while neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia suffer image
\nproblems due to political tension and riots.<\/p>\n
\"Do not promote beaches these days, let's promote the fact you
\ncan come here much cheaper than before,\" Wasser told Reuters in
\nan interview.<\/p>\n
\"You have to be fast to ride the cheaper baht...we should
\nresort to this hard sale, just for this year.\"<\/p>\n
Wasser, a seasoned French hotelier working mostly in Asia and
\nthe Pacific over the past 30 years, took the top post this month
\nat the 1,041-room resort hotel overlooking Pattaya Bay, southeast
\nof Bangkok.<\/p>\n
About eight million foreign tourists visited Thailand in 1998,
\nup from 7.2 million in 1997, Thai officials said, making it the
\nonly major Southeast Asian destination to see such an increase
\nthis year.<\/p>\n
The Thai baht, at 36.30 to the dollar this week, was about 29
\npercent cheaper than it was in July 1997. It hit a low of 56.9 to
\nthe dollar in January.<\/p>\n
Despite a similar depreciation in the Malaysian ringgit,
\nMalaysian tourism had declined about 23 percent this year, Wasser
\nsaid. Nor has the plunging rupiah helped Indonesian tourism,
\nsince many top hotels quoted room rates in U.S. dollars.<\/p>\n
Tourism to Malaysia was hurt by the political fall-out of
\nformer Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's corruption trial and
\ntourists' fears Malaysia faced the same ethnic and political
\nstrife plaguing Indonesia, Wasser said.<\/p>\n
Riots broke out in Jakarta in May during mass public
\ndemonstrations against former Indonesian President Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Violent protests against the country's new government and
\nPresident B.J. Habibie have erupted in recent months.<\/p>\n
Tourism authorities in Singapore and Hong Kong estimate their
\nrespective visitor arrivals to decline by about 15 percent and 12
\npercent this year.<\/p>\n
But Wasser said Thailand had none of these problems.<\/p>\n
He said the Royal Cliff was investing about one billion baht
\n($27.5 million) to build a large exhibition and convention center
\nnext to the resort hotel.<\/p>\n
He said the new facility, due for completion in late 1999,
\nwould feature a seaside convention hall with seating capacity for
\n5,800 people to rival Bangkok's Queen Sirikit Convention Center.<\/p>\n
\"We will go heavy on MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions
\nand Exhibitions), focusing on high-end conventions for
\nprofessionals in medical, legal, architectural sectors -- people
\nin the higher strata of society,\" Wasser said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thai-tourism-fares-well-despite-crisis-1447893297",
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