Thai travel-retail trade reports minimal impact after coup

Results of survey
A	25.0 %
B	18.8 %
C	12.5 %
D	12.5 %
E	25.0 %
F	6.3 %

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Gavin Lipsith

20-Sep-2006

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Representatives of the local travel and travel-retail trades are unphased by last night's military coup in Thailand

The Thai travel and travel-retail industries have reacted with astounding calm following yesterday's military coup, in which prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's government was ousted by army chief general Sonthi Boonyaratkalin. The coup appears to have had little effect on tourism, with the UK and other governments declining to issue advice for residents to leave the country despite Shinawatra's declaration of a state of emergency and Boonyaratkalin placing Bangkok under martial law.

King Power International Group (Thailand) group deputy managing director Susan Whelan told DFNI Asia that it was business as usual at the airport and at the King Power offices. "It's absolutely as normal here," she said. "Originally today and tomorrow were declared as public holidays, but now it has been decided that they will be normal business days so there will really be no effect."

Whelan confirmed that plans for the opening of the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport on September 28, and King Power's commercial offer there, were continuing unchanged.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association has also reported a minimal impact, saying that visitors in Thailand at present are calm, safe and comfortable although there have been some cancellations in hotel bookings for the next few weeks.

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