Thailand prepares for drop in tourism post blasts

By Max Constant

BANGKOK (AA) - Thai tourism authorities are preparing a raft of measures to restore confidence in the country after a series of bombings killed four people and injured more than 30, leaving officials expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors to now plan their vacations elsewhere.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying Tuesday that his agency “expects the attacks to trim down tourist numbers by 200,000 from now until year-end”.

In a statement released Monday, Supasorn announced a series of measures to “let the people know that the country is still a secure and welcoming destination to visit in the wake of the incidents”.

Last Thursday and Friday, a total of 13 bombs exploded in four tourist provinces in the upper part of Thailand’s southern peninsula killing four people and injuring 35.

“To boost industry and tourist confidence, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is putting initiatives in place to ensure that Thailand’s positive image… remains intact,” he added.

The explosions took place in what Thai people call the “Buddhist south”, in opposition to the “Muslim south” -- hundreds of kilometers further south near the Malaysian border.

The Thai junta has suggested political opponents were responsible, while police are prioritizing the theory that the attacks were by southern Muslim insurgents operating beyond their traditional powerbase in the three provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.

On Monday, the TAT, a government agency, announced the launch of several new initiatives to tempt tourists to areas hit by the explosions, including “Jazz Run Cycling Hua Hin” which will comprise “a jazz music festival, a food fair, a marathon and a cycling event”.

Hua Hin, a seaside resort 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Bangkok, was hit by four blasts in which killed two people died and over 20 were injured. It was the first time the city -- the home of a summer palace of the royal family -- had experienced such an incident.

Another new initiative called “ExpatFest” -- planned for the end of September -- will “showcase unique Thai culture” in order to “create [a] buzz among families and friends [coming from] overseas that Thailand remains a safe and welcoming destination,” the TAT said in a statement.

Meanwhile, “Magnificent Thailand” -- to be held in Bangkok at the beginning of October -- will comprise “a street food festival and city street light decorations”.

“Based on reports from the Tourism Authority of Thailand offices nationwide, the recent incidents have not massively impacted on domestic tourism,” the agency underlined.

Tourism contributes 10 percent to Thailand's GDP, with 29.8 million foreigners visiting the country in 2015.

Prior to the explosions, the TAT had anticipated 32 million visits to the country this year.

In the first seven months of 2016, there was a 12 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists compared to the same period in 2015, when tourist numbers were again affected by instability.

In 2014, the military junta seized power after a period of instability which saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets, airports blocked, department stores burnt to the ground, the center of the capital brought to a standstill, and violent battles between troops and protesters in which 91 people died -- the worst casualty figures in the country's modern history.

A Muslim insurgency has also been taking place in the country's far south, which has claimed 7,000 lives in the past 12 years, and a spate of high-profile deaths of foreigners have raised questions about safety in the Southeast Asian tourist haven.