Thailand's tourism industry suffers after Bangkok clashes

While many tourists and locals celebrate the start of the Songkran new year festivities on Khao San Road, many others are waiting to see what happens. The weekend’s bloodshed has taken a toll on Thailand’s tourism industry. Tourists are cancelling or cutting their trips short with more than 40 countries issuing travel warnings. “All charter flights from China have been cancelled,“ said Vichit Prakobgosol, president of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association, to the Bangkok Post yesterday.

“It feels strange here,” said Chilean visitor Tomas Oyarzun to the Financial Times yesterday. 

The sudden wariness of visitors has also affected the country’s stock market. The normally resilient SET Index has dropped 6.4 percent with shares from Thai Airways plummeting 13.6 percent. 

Local businesses also said the festive period was quieter than normal. But they added it was not at a standstill. And Thailand's tourism industry, which accounts for seven percent of its GDP, has come through tough times before. Tourist numbers in 2009 were up on the year before despite the global economic downturn and the closure of Bangkok's two key airports in December 2008 by protests. 

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