With martial law imposed in Thailand, Indian tourists have begun to give its Capital city — Bangkok, considered as an economical foreign destination — a miss during its peak tourism season. They are opting for other Thai cities like Koh Samui and Phuket.
Unrest in the region has also diverted some of the desi travellers to domestic destinations like Kashmir and Adamans.The Suvarnabhumi International Airport of Bangkok is the 16th busiest airport in the world, and also the sixth busiest in Asia. The beautiful beaches and landscapes coupled with the dynamic street life attract scores of tourists every year — majority of them being Indians. But owing to the ongoing Thai political crisis which started in November last year, tourist destinations in the country, especially Bangkok, have seen a sudden decrease in the volume of tourists.
According to observers, the slump in the demand for tour operators has been of around 30 per cent against last year’s trends.“Thailand is a major tourist destination for Indians. But this year the demand has been very low. Although the scenario is not so bad in reality, people have a lot of apprehensions. When it comes to Bangkok in particular, our business has dropped by nearly 50 per cent. We have received unnaturally low bookings in the months of March, April and May,” said Rajeev Kumar, Senior Executive (outbound), Bonton Tours Private limited.
With lesser number of tourists choosing Bangkok as a destination, the demand of a few exquisite cities in the country like Koh Samui, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai has witnessed a gradual increase.“Some travellers are flexible with their itinerary and are now extending their stay in other parts of the country such as Chiang Mai, Koh Samui or Phuket,” Gupta added.
Abhishek, senior executive, Tourista Travels, said, “These smaller cities are much peaceful and considerably away from the political unrest happening elsewhere in the country. Tourists enjoy the clean beaches in these cities and the fantastic night life.”Some companies have not only put it on the political complexities in Thailand, but also opine that the 16th lok Sabha elections in India were also a major cause for decrease in the number of outbound tourists.
“Thailand is among the most popular destinations for Indian travellers and we are monitoring the situation there very closely. Due to the elections this year, many travellers delayed their travel plans. But, with the results being announced, there has been an increase in bookings to Thailand in the last ten days. Thailand is not currently out of bounds and in fact with the Army in charge it is considerably safer. Bangkok is calm — schools, businesses, hotels, airports, shopping malls, restaurants and major tourist attractions remain open.
Tourist-dominated areas continue to be heavily guarded and relatively free of protestors and violence. We recommend those traveling to Thailand or already there to stay clear of protests and large gatherings,” said Mohit Gupta, Chief Business Officer (Holidays), MakeMyTrip.com.
Meanwhile, as the demand for holidaying in the buzzing country is on a sharp decline, travel companies have also promptly reduced promoting Thailand. Travel companies are not promoting Thailand. Instead most of them are opting for alternate destinations like the Maldives, Mauritius and Dubai. “People now are increasingly asking about places like Dubai, Indonesia, Mauritius and so on. For such places, they have to spend a bit more, but they are ready most of the times,” added Kumar.
Besides, companies are also seeing increased interest in Kashmir, Andamans and Goa these days. “Domestic destinations are also doing fairly well when it comes to bookings. We may attribute it to the fact that lesser people are opting for foreign tours, but that cannot be proved wholly,” added Abhishek.