Time to Plan Your Trip to Thailand - Tourism Drops 22%
Thaivisa citing the Bangkok Post reports:
With the airport shut down last year, more violent demonstrations this year, and H1N1 rates among the highest in Asia, it's no wonder that tourists are avoiding Thailand.
But lowest in 49 years? There were no tourists 49 years ago. When I went to Phuket in 1969, there were only a couple of two story Thai hotels downtown. The Erawan Hotel, now a gazillion story super hotel in the middle of Bangkok traffic, was a delightfully sleepy, but elegant, two story hotel with a wonderful lunch by the pool.
OK, there were some tourists back then, but I saw more tourists in my three months in Chiang Mai this year than I did in three years in Thailand in the '60s. Even if they count the US soldiers on R&R from Vietnam as tourists.
It just couldn't be right, so I checked the Bangkok Post article:
Now that's a totally different story. "Biggest drop in tourism growth" is a lot different from 'tourism hits 49 year low."
See how misinformation starts to flow?
In any case, there will be a lot of empty hotel rooms which means a lot of great rates. Time to check on line or with your travel agent.
The tourism industry has hit a 49-year low and is expected to plunge by 22 per cent this year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand.
With the airport shut down last year, more violent demonstrations this year, and H1N1 rates among the highest in Asia, it's no wonder that tourists are avoiding Thailand.
But lowest in 49 years? There were no tourists 49 years ago. When I went to Phuket in 1969, there were only a couple of two story Thai hotels downtown. The Erawan Hotel, now a gazillion story super hotel in the middle of Bangkok traffic, was a delightfully sleepy, but elegant, two story hotel with a wonderful lunch by the pool.
OK, there were some tourists back then, but I saw more tourists in my three months in Chiang Mai this year than I did in three years in Thailand in the '60s. Even if they count the US soldiers on R&R from Vietnam as tourists.
It just couldn't be right, so I checked the Bangkok Post article:
The tourism industry has suffered its deepest slump in many decades with the number of visitors expected to be down 22 per cent on last year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand chairman Kongkit Hiranyakij.
It was the biggest plunge in tourism growth in 49 years, he said.
Now that's a totally different story. "Biggest drop in tourism growth" is a lot different from 'tourism hits 49 year low."
See how misinformation starts to flow?
In any case, there will be a lot of empty hotel rooms which means a lot of great rates. Time to check on line or with your travel agent.