Drop in tourists puts Tourism Authority of Thailand on the offense

As Thailand’s reputation as a less-than desirable place to visit grows in line with the protracted anti-government red shirt protests, the country’s tourism industry is feeling the fallout.

According to a report in the Bangkok Post, foreign tourist arrivals at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport have plunged to 20,000 a day, down from 30,000 prior to the start of protests in mid-March. To combat the drop, the Post says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set out a 1.6 billion baht budget to restore the country’s battered tourism industry once the political crisis ends.

“The spending plan, of which 600 million baht will be slated to restore domestic tourism and 1 billion baht for foreign markets, will kick off within June,” says the daily newspaper, quoting Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa. Their first priority will be to restore confidence among international tourists and tour operators.