Thailand plans campaign to revive tourism

Thailand plans campaign to revive tourism

Agence France-Presse, Bangkok

Thailand will launch an international public relations campaign to shore up its tourism industry, which has been badly affected by the terrorist attacks in the U.S., reports said Sunday.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Pradech Phayakvichien said the campaign would reassure tourists that Thailand remains a safe destination.

The promotional effort will be aimed at "major markets where tourists are sensitive to the September 11 events," and will include an international roadshow by Thai officials, the Nation daily reported.

Thailand's lucrative tourism sector has also been undercut in recent weeks by a controversial government crackdown on nightclub closing hours, according to groups as varied as taxi drivers, bar owners and economists.

Interior Minister Purachai Piumsombun, who has spearheaded the campaign, has said he was convinced the anti-vice drive would not harm the tourism industry because tourists came to Thailand to see "natural beauty."

Among other plans to boost Thailand's flagging tourism is a bid to furnish the island resort of Phuket with an international convention center.

Last month, the TAT warned that visitor arrivals over the rest of this year could be slashed by 30 percent if the U.S. launched military strikes in retaliation for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Pradech said forecasts of an eight percent growth in the industry over this year had been dumped and a modest 1.8 expansion was now expected.

For the first half of 2001, tourist arrivals in Thailand stood at 5.6 million, an increase of nearly eight percent over the same period in 2000.

Arrivals from major markets included East Asia (2,986,703), Europe (1,175,436), the Americas (326,787), Oceania (200,407), South Asia (172,247), the Middle East (99,581) and Africa (42,530), according to TAT.

The poor outlook for tourism is bad news for Thailand, which is battling to fend off a recession amid a downturn in its exports as the U.S. and Japan economies soften.