Monthly Archives: June 2014

News about Thailand travel and Tourism

Tourism covers 7% of Thailand’s economy. Travel and Tourism operations in Thailand provide 2 million+ jobs. However, the industry shows resilience despite a long decade of political turmoil.

News reports mention that 26.7 million record visitors came over last year which was a rise by 20% since previous year.

However, political protests which took place in November caused 6% drop in the foreign tourist arrivals. This was during the period of January-April of this year as reported by Piyaman Tejapaibul who is president of Thailand’s Tourism industry.

Piyaman has appealed the ruling junta for lifting night curfews at the beach resorts which includes Phuket and Samui and Krabi and Pattaya.

News from Phuket Gazette newspaper said, “Everybody around the country, especially those in tourism sectors, hopes that military rule is shunned and democracy prevails.”

However, more than forty countries have declared travel alerts which include US and Hong Kong. They have advised the citizens to avoid Thailand travel for non-essential reasons.

Hong Kong is one major source of Thailand visitors. Travel Industry Council stated that minimum 70 tour groups were cancelled by travel agents this week which involved 1300 people.

The Hotels in Bangkok also say that the coup has lead to non-stop cancellations.

Lebua hotel’s chief executive said, “We filed extra 650 cancellations during past 5 days. Bangkok’s Lebua hotel’s Sky Bar- a lavish elevated rooftop was a characteristic location in the movie Hangover 2.

As a result, this 5-star hotel is offering certain promotions which it calls as “Staycations”. This is done to entice the locals and travelers to visit for drinks and dinner and spend relaxed nights while avoiding rushing to home because of curfew.

A similar case is seen with Swissotel Nai Lert Park who has announced “Beat the Curfew” offer for residents till the end of month of June.

News for the fans of Thailand

The Airline bookings for Thailand takes a fall, reveals news from travel data

The Airline bookings towards Thailand have fallen. This was revealed by a travel association on Sunday subsequent to the military’s taking over the government. This happened on May 22. This news has grabbed eyeballs as it claims to hit the tourism and travel sector of Thailand which accounts for 10% of economy.

The rebellion followed by months of protests, weakened Thailand’s government headed by Prime Minister Mr. Yingluck Shinawatra. This was followed by forced ministries to be closed for weeks which hurt business confidence. As a result, the economy shrunk and creating negative impact on Thailand’s Travel industry .

May 19 saw around 28,000 of inbound bookings to Thailand a day as per sample figures from Pacific Asia’s Travel Association or PATA. However, May 23 saw 5000 cancellations.

As a result prior to military’s intervention, the Tourism and Travel Authority of Thailand decreased its forecast for the foreign arrivals for this year to 5-year low of around 26.3 million.

This news about drop in the airline bookings were circulated at global meeting of the airlines across Doha where the industry executives seemed worried about impact of the political instability on Thailand and Ukraine as well as over wider travel demand.

The Short-haul booking from countries like China, where people usually book travel some weeks in advance are hit the most said Martin Craigs who is the chief executive of the PATA. The Bookings from the long-haul travelers did not fell as much as they book in advance, Craigs said.

Craigs alleged that tourism’s bosses had talked to Thai military highlighting the Travel sector’s importance to the economy. There’s a need to call for repeal of nationwide curfew which exists from midnight to around 4 am.

What to expect when you travel around the world

If you are a hitch hiker, you would know about what to expect and what not to expect when you travel on your own. It takes a brave person to venture out in this big world alone, it is only too much fun, when you have company.

Things you need to know when you travel around the world:

Yes indeed, if you are venturing out in the world, every country becomes your home country, but that does not meant the people of that particular place share the same opinion. Most locals view tourists as a major distraction and invasion. So be careful whom you trust, do not trust easily.

Ensure that you are tough and even appear that way. Your personality and the look on your face can give off a vibe that will tell people that you are not someone to be messed around with.

Don’t let the above two points scare you; in your travel, be humble and embrace cultures that you come across. Embrace the difference and the similarities that you will see. Take pictures, take mental pictures, and cherish those moments. Be free spirited and spread the love.

Since almost every country in this world is growing and advancing you will find all the amenities that you would need in your pursuit of travelling around the world. Always have your identification on you, and an emergency contact available. Global cards help you to access your money from any part of the world, ensure you have one. Carry basic first aid medicine with you for you never know which kind of medication may or may not suit you in a foreign land while on your travel.

Carry all your necessities and most importantly carry an open and brave heart when you travel around the world!